individual

It always comes down to one person, doesn't it?

If you go to a restaurant, one bad chef messes up your meal, and the reputation of that fine establishment is ruined.

You travel to a foreign city, the stranger on the street is kind and generous when you ask directions, it is a friendly place to visit.

Sure, you could go back to the restaurant or city and have a completely different experience the second time around, but won't there still be a pivotal person somewhere? Everything you experience every day can be destroyed or exalted because of one extraordinary person or moment.

I just watched the movie Troy, and it got me to thinking. Not because of great cinematic art, groundbreaking acting, or directorial brilliance. Because of the fact the story is derived from a timeless classic, The Iliad. I recall reading this book in college, one of the few titles I was assigned to in my life that I had not read already. I remember being blown away by so much the book had to offer.

The theme that really hit home to me tonight was how there have been leaders in the world, heroes. Hector led his army, inspired them, as did Achilles. Without these men their respective armies were lost.

Somewhere, sometime there must have been truly amazing, inspirational leaders. Legends were born of others, such as King Arthur, Jesus, Buddha. I know this lament must seem so tired by now, but whom do we have to look to now? Are our heroes of tomorrow weighed down by video games, television, and materialism? Are they lost in a sea of credit debt? Or have they just given up on a world that is too jaded to care?

Or maybe the real tale to tell was of how all the other characters had an effect on the life of the heroes. All those twists and turns of fate were not just wily wills of the gods, but a way to realize how we are all connected. The reason your food was crappy at the restaurant was because someone was rude to the coffee guy who messed up a girl's beverage who happened to be dating the chef who yelled at the prep cook who was so upset that they didn't notice that they were ruining your meal. Each person had to actualize the chain to tie the whole experience together.

Thus why this tale is so beautiful. You may believe you are a mighty Achilles or merely a foot soldier, but your life matters, it holds the same weight - regardless if your name ends up in a very long very old poem. So live like it. And if you have the courage, live like a Hector.