Greek Mythology

In the myth of Achilles (specifically gotten from the Iliad of Homer by Richmond Lattimore) Achilles is a war hero who has to decide between kleos, the Greek version of ultimate glory, and leading a normal life. The problem is, is that if Achilles goes out into battle he will cause his side a great victory but will in return be killed. Achilles at one point runs away from the fighting in fear for his life. By running away his side of the battle started losing and would continue to be defeated until Achilles would re-enter the war. Many readers and critics despise Achilles for his choice to leave the battle but I on the other hand empathize with him fully. One can learn two morals from this myth; 1) Running away is the never the answer when many lives are at stake 2) Even someone who is powerful has fears and weaknesses. I believe that the second is the moral I recognize more in my daily life. We all want to please people and make life as comfortable for others (at least I do). But what Achilles expresses when he turned his back on his country was a human emotion most of us feel time and time again, submission. Giving up was the only way he could have re-evaluated his wants and his own needs. I learn that backing away isn't always the worst strategy and can ever help one keep out of a bad situation. At the end of the story Achilles does re-enter the war fulfilling the prophecy that he all along had to conform to.  This can also show that Achilles had re-evaluated his choices and with a clear head he decided that his country needed him at this time and his sacrifice was his choice.