The Biggest Decision

[white avenger]

There's a Greek myth about a hero, Heracles, Jason, Achilles, one of those guys, who as a young man was approached by the Fates and offered a choice: live a full happy life and die in obscurity, or live a short life filled with glory and adventure and become a legend after death. It's obvious what their decision was. What would yours be? A long life of obscurity, or going out with a memorable bang?

 

[JenniferAlice]

OBSCURITY, definitely. And anyway, even if I did live a full happy, but obscure life, I'd still be a legend. Pure legend.

 

[Spirit_Of_Fred]

definitely the obscurity option. i want to be happy. i dont care if im famous and heroic. plain and simple 🙂.

 

[Schillaci]

Interesting topic, but I don't think I could reasonably answer this with so little information given. Maybe for others the answer is easy, maybe it is for me, and I just don't yet realise it. If becoming a legend meant that I could influence life for a large group of people, in some way, for the better, then it would appeal to me. But fame, in itself, does not interest me, and who I would have to be, and what I would have to do, might be questionable to what I believe, in becomming this legend. And perhaps a life of obscurity, where I didn't have to sacrifice certain values but could positively influence those around me, that those ripples could in some way affect someone to become a legend, a positive status, would be meeting both goals.

Being a legend, just for the fame of it, certainy doesn't appeal to me though.

 

[Kean]

Obscurity. Fame or any form is probably the most unappealing thing I could think of. I'm intensley private and the thought of going down in infamy is horrible to me. Give me the happy quiet life anytime🙂

 

[itsxpaperdoll]

It's a though choice. I would certainly not want to die in complete (I'm talking tramp-like) obscurity, but on the other hand they don't have fame and honour and heroism nowadays like they used to have back in ancient greece and rome. If I'd have lived back then I would have gone for the memorable bang (with a little bit of luck someone, 2500 years later, would make a film about me) But unless you actually save the world, something like that doesn't exist anymore. If you're famous for doing something good it's because you also happen to have a record coming out (Bono) or you're actually originally a terrorist, "let's not forget that" (Nelson Mandela) and so on. I want to be famous becaus I'm such a great person, not because I have a very smooth marketing team.

Anyway, it was Achilles who was first presented this choice. He obviously chose the Bang-one (cos we now make shitty brad pitt movies about him) but he did have one moment of weakness when Odysseus came to take him to Troy, cos he was young and possibly in love, and he dressed up as one of the king's daughters (Odysseus had never been to visit the king of whatever the island was called) But Odysseus, being the guy who ten years later would come up with the big wooden horsey, wasn't so easily fooled and he gave the girls a big chest full of presents (silk, jewelry etc... girls will be girls) but under all the girlie gifts he had hidden a sword or armoury or somthing like that and Achilles couldn't help but take it (..and boys will be boys) He was a good loser and admitted defeat and went to Troy with Odysseus.
That's quite a funny story, right? I just wanted to show off a bit by telling it but seriously, if you can get your hands on a nice translation of the Illiad and Odyssey you really should actually get your hands on them cos they are both great reads (albeit quite difficult).
Well, so much for the classics on the early moring. I'm heading for a very obscure breakfast.

 

[Dancing man]

A short life were I am remnbered as a legend.

 

[white avenger]

I

Anyway, it was Achilles who was first presented this choice. He obviously chose the Bang-one (cos we now make shitty brad pitt movies about him) but he did have one moment of weakness when Odysseus came to take him to Troy, cos he was young and possibly in love, and he dressed up as one of the king's daughters (Odysseus had never been to visit the king of whatever the island was called) But Odysseus, being the guy who ten years later would come up with the big wooden horsey, wasn't so easily fooled and he gave the girls a big chest full of presents (silk, jewelry etc... girls will be girls) but under all the girlie gifts he had hidden a sword or armoury or somthing like that and Achilles couldn't help but take it (..and boys will be boys) He was a good loser and admitted defeat and went to Troy with Odysseus.
That's quite a funny story, right? I just wanted to show off a bit by telling it but seriously, if you can get your hands on a nice translation of the Illiad and Odyssey you really should actually get your hands on them cos they are both great reads (albeit quite difficult).
Well, so much for the classics on the early moring. I'm heading for a very obscure breakfast.

Yeah, but after Achilles got to Troy, he reneged on the deal, withdrawing from the fight because someone (Agamemnon?) stole his favorite slave girl. (Boys WILL be boys) He refused to return to the battle until his best friend was killed while trying to fool the Trojans into believing that he was Achilles.

And you forgot "The Aeneid," the story of the last survivor of Troy, Prince Aeneus, who was either the founder of Rome, or the direct ancestor of Romulus of Romulus and Remos fame.

(None of which has anything to do with the original question, just me trying to regain my dignity for not remembering who made the original choise.)

 

[Washburne]

I have no desire at all to be famous (except maybe under an alias online 😉), so obscurity it is for me. Recognition for the good things you do in life is nice but it´s not like I want to be a legend of some sorts. Recognition from the closest family and friends (and co-workers) are more than enough for me. I´m happy with the quiet life.

 

[itsxpaperdoll]

Yeah, but after Achilles got to Troy, he reneged on the deal, withdrawing from the fight because someone (Agamemnon?) stole his favorite slave girl. (Boys WILL be boys) He refused to return to the battle until his best friend was killed while trying to fool the Trojans into believing that he was Achilles.

And you forgot "The Aeneid," the story of the last survivor of Troy, Prince Aeneus, who was either the founder of Rome, or the direct ancestor of Romulus of Romulus and Remos fame.

(None of which has anything to do with the original question, just me trying to regain my dignity for not remembering who made the original choise.)

I never read the Aeneid, I dropped out of Latin class before we got to the fun bits so I only know stuff about ancient Greece (which is already quite a lot so I don't feel sad for not knowing what the hell Seneca was on about and why Nero wanted to kill him.) I do know however that they made a nice opera out of it (tho I've never seen or heard anything from it) and I know the highlights, like him fleeing with his dad on his back and Dido killing herself.

Anyway, it was indeed Agamemnon who stole Achilles'slave. If I remember correctly it was Briseis, and he took her from Achilles because his slave girl, Chryseis had to go back because her father was an angry priest (he was stubborn but he didn't want to make the gods too angry) When Achilles finally came back to revenge Patrocles' death (that was is best friend) he was so angry with Hector (who killed him) thathe chased him around the city 3 times and finally managed (with a bit of help from Athena, who was on Achilles' side) kill him and then he tied Hectors body to his chariot and dragged it around the battlefield for some days, while Hectors wife was standing on the citywalls watching. (We had to read that in class. ^^)

(I was going to say all this in a karmapostthingy, so it wouldn't be all off topicy, but it was a tiny bit too long.)

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

I would like the short, adventure filled life that makes me a legend. I'm not too kean on the idea of getting old, so a full happy life would be wasted there anyways.

 

[hannahfngrl26]

I would choose the happy full life and then dieing in obscurity. I dont need glory or any of that other crap. I like simple things. So yeah, give me a happy full life any day.

 

[Buffanator]

Oh, for me, definitely go out "with a bang!"...

and then...

get reincarnated, & go out with ANOTHER bang!

And I'll just keep banging until I get it right! 😉

 

[ILLYRIAN]

I chose to go out with a big bang, seems like I went wrong though.

 

[katyadraven]

This one's easy for me. Obscure and happy. If I'm happy then I've touched people's lives and that is enough "legend" for me. Everyone doesn't need to know about the good I've done with my life to make me happy. And I want to be around long enough to accomplish all the things that I want to accomplish.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

it is immaterial what kind of life i lead; as long as i can lift those around me to better, that is fine; at least most of the time. sometimes i get self-centered and greedy and want it to be about me me me, but life doesnt work that way. our lives are not judged on what we do, but what we do for others. least, that's how i see it.

 

[Airam]

There's a Greek myth about a hero, Heracles, Jason, Achilles, one of those guys, who as a young man was approached by the Fates and offered a choice: live a full happy life and die in obscurity, or live a short life filled with glory and adventure and become a legend after death. It's obvious what their decision was. What would yours be? A long life of obscurity, or going out with a memorable bang?

To me the key word in there is "happy"... I might opt for the fame and glory and legendary status if complete happiness during that short life was part of the package, but that wasn't clearly stated... so I have to go for the long, happy obscure life.... can I get a bunch of money to go with my long life though? Just kidding... sort of. :silly:

 

[palabravampiress]

Short life. Big bang. Be a legend.

I want to be remembered and studied and talked about. It's the only kind of immortality in which I truly believe.