In the Odyssey, the first time we meet Odysseus, he has been offered by Calypso a life of ease and pleasure without urgency or end.
He rejects this offer, choosing instead a life of mortality and reality. He chooses the trial that will lead him home to his wife and son, to his real life.
This hero’s journey starts by choosing to be mortal.
Like Odysseus, when we recognize and embrace our own mortality, the adventure of our life deepens. This recognition of our limitedness helps us to live well and urgently.
Yes, mortality has been chosen for us, as it were. Our bodies are not built to last forever and none of us will ever be offered what Calypso offered Odysseus. But we do have the choice to either embrace our mortality or uselessly resent (or ignore) it. This is an illusory path that short-circuits the hero’s journey.
Instead, we have the choice to live generously within the constraints we have been given.
Paul's Blog 