So, you're curious where I've been, and what I've been up to? Yeah, I'm still here.
No more questions? Huh. There's a song about that.
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"We're sitting here with Willy Nilly."
"Believe that."
"How are you doing?"
"Alright."
"So, Willy, tell me, how was your life as a youngster?"
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Alright, since the lady in the song asked, I'll tell you.
In the words of Tony the Tiger, I've been gggreat. I have been very busy, which is why I haven't written one of these in a little while. That seems like a completely guessable fact, but I say it anyway.
I turned 21 about a week ago. I chose the wrong week to be sober. hehe. Just kidding. On my birthday, I worked most of the day (lame), then saw the Odyssey (not lame). It was a really good movie, although some directorial choices were made that I thought were not representative of the usual Christopher Nolan. It was very long, but not boring. We went at 11 PM, so we didn't finish the movie until 2. See it in IMAX. Otherwise all the shots are gonna have the tops and bottoms cut off, and it looks way better when that doesn't happen. You need to see Agamemnon aura farm in full, unobstructed, high definition view.
I also went to Lagoon. Fears = conquered again.
I decided I haven't finished talking about the Odyssey. Don't you dare complain that these are spoilers. First of all, they're not. Second off, the book has literally been out for three thousand years. The chronological order is literally: 1. Terrible Copper Review, 2. The Bible, 3. The Odyssey, and 4. The Qu'ran. If you did not pick up a copy of the Odyssey at Barnes and Noble in that time, that is your own fault. You wouldn't complain that I spoiled the Bible if I told you that Jesus comes back in season 6. Now on with my analysis.
I noticed that the same music Odysseus heard from the sirens plays again when he finally returns to his wife. Holy mother of motifs. When describing the music, Odysseus says something along the lines of, "it's like everything you always wanted to be, but couldn't. It's everything you've ever hoped for and can't have." Of course, this depends on the person, so what does that say about Odysseus?
The same song plays when he gets home and finally sees his wife again. Agamemnon's call brought him to war, but he really had no choice in the first place. The story portrays his leaving as a valorant decision, yet it was somewhat forced upon him. His "courage" was a completely expected response. He wanted to be a normal man, at home with his wife, raising his son and caring for his people. Everything he ever wanted to be—everything he couldn't be—was nothing but a husband. He didn't want the glory.
However, his own decisions while on that demanded path caused his own derision. The suitors stay at the castle because the people worry and demand protection from the Sea People: rumored wayfarers who bring destruction to those they visit. Turns out? The Sea People were the Greeks. They were Odysseus and his men. His own brash choices led to the deaths of all of his men and the near collapse of his small kingdom from the inside out.
This is symbolic of Greece as a whole. One of the major reasons for their downfall was infighting between small fiefdoms, and the Odyssey does a great job of packing that into the story of a single man who just wanted to live, but couldn't because society had so much for him to do. Greece was an empire that wanted to live, but their own brash decisions in their attempt to do so ended up their undoing.
This leads me to one specific overarching point that I think the literary version holds over the movie's head. In the epic, the entire retelling is just Odysseus's recounting of the past upon his return. This leaves the reader to wonder: was Odysseus really that heroic? Did he really encounter 4 of the most famous characters in Greek mythology? Did the most beautiful woman in Antiquity really fall in love with him and become so charmed that she wiped his memory so he'd stay with her? Was he really so important that the gods were picking on him individually? Perhaps he was. It is also possible he had six years to come up with a fantastic story for why he was spared by divinity, how he singlehandedly brought about the fall of Troy, and why not a single one of his men survived.
Of course, he must be the hero, but he must also show some sort of development and stoic growth, since that was important to his audience. In every story, Odysseus is the sole reason for his squad's escape. The reader of the poem doesn't get to know what really happened. It could be so much less heroic. What if Odysseus actually hid from war, didn't know it was over, assumed seven years was enough, but figured he might still catch some punishment for desertion, and that's why he immediately sailed away when he got home? It's probably somewhere in the middle.
That leaves the same interpretation for the Greeks. It seems their overconfidence led to their downfall. They probably told their own Odysseys about the empire, about how it overcame the insurmountable odds, and how the gods had selected it because of their superiority. We're the same people they were. I'm sure you can directly quote similar sentiments about your country, your people, your family, your church.
The warning of the Odyssey was directed at the Greeks themselves: don't undo yourselves by the perversion of your morals. The entire story centers around the weaponization of once-noble concepts: Zeus' Law (I hate the phrase) as a tool for permissible larceny, gifts as sabotage in the Trojan Horse, human sacrifice for favor in war, and consequently, love as a trap for betrayal in the slaying of Agamemnon. Let steel and copper hold their role in battle, and let emotion keep its place in man. The separation is mortality; the cross, brutality.
All's fair in love and war, right? Choose well when given the chance, or you'll find your power of choice is gone. I wonder what Odysseus regretted.
Good movie. If I have to hear "Zeus' Law" one more time, I'll invoke it myself by inviting myself to your funeral.
Speaking of funerals, I'm grateful for hospitals. I was in the ER last night until 3 AM because my friend broke his arm, and he wanted me to stay with him. I'm glad there are people who know enough about drugs and setting bones and stuff like that, because if they didn't, my friend would be crippled for the rest of his life. If you have to choose where to go after breaking your arm, I'd suggest Utah Valley Hospital. They were excellent.
Our hackathon is happening! The school got us room. We are going to start outreach soon, and I'm really excited. Working with all these people has taught me that there are some cool ones out there.
Okay, I have to go watch Project Hail Mary now. I guess I'll talk to you later. If you write me, I'll write you back.
see ya
-will
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