Loyalty, Patience, and Moral

Loyalty, Patience, and Moral

The world is wonderful place filled with amazing things. I have been almost everywhere and I am astonished by how are cultures differ from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Many cultures, civilizations and people live in this area. Several empires and countries are gone and even more were formed. Our difference are what make us unique. I have learned a lot in this life about the cultures, customs and values of each epic or book we read. Starting with the patience of Job, to the adventures of Odysseus and finally the journey of Dante in the inferno.

Job to some of us was a good man, and to others a prophet that was tested by God. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Job is glorified for his patience. To think of all that suffering he endured, and all the turmoil he had to go through. In addition, the dilemma he was facing; not with another person, but with God himself. Do you think you would be patience at all? I know I would not! To lose wealth and property is something that a lot of us might be able to endure, but to have your children die before your own eyes and all you did was being a good man in God’s realm? How can a man suffer so much? And for what reason? And what adds more salt to the injury, is that your own wife just detest your miserable sight and tells you to curse your God and die. Moreover, your very friends tells you to apologize and beg God for forgiveness for sins that you have never committed. Just try and put yourself in Job’s shoes. Would you be patient? I know for a fact that I would not. Yet, Job was!

You could learn many good virtues from Job. He was not just patient! In addition to his patience, he was knowledgeable, and wise. He was a just man as well. If I ever want something from Job, I would get two things. Now, of course I do not want to be wise because I like being young and stupid and it is kind of my thing. However, I like would to get Job’s patience and the loyalty of his friends. I mean the patience that he had is magnificent and incomparable to any other man who was alive at that time. Surprisingly, most of us did not recognize Job’s friends and their loyalty to him. Now, I know like most of us would help a friend in distress, but their friend, Job, was forsaken by God! And yet no matter what happened to Job or how badly things got, they stood with him all along. Would you not want friends like that? I surely would. Loyalty is a sacred thing because you can never purchase loyalty and if you ever did, be careful because whomever you bought their loyalty, they are offering it to the highest bidder. To me, loyalty is like a two-ways road, if you want mine, I would expect yours in return.

Now some of you could argue that the Odyssey was just a story. Well, yes it was, but way more than just a story. There are several lesson one could learn from Odysseus. First and foremost, perseverance. The Odyssey is a story of perseverance. Despite all the obstacles and challenges that Odysseus faced, he never gave up the idea that one day he will be home. His perseverance was not based on his physical strength alone, but he showed great intelligence in outwitting those who try to ensnare him. He showed a great determination that he made a noble attempt to survive by hiding under the bellies of a sheep. Never giving up no matter what is a great virtue that one should have. Another thing that I think we should learn from Odysseus is self-control. Now I know that we are college students and we usually drink ourselves to bed, but self-control is a wonderful trait that one should have. Many great and wealthy people are succeeding in life because they have learned how to control themselves. And our beloved hero Odysseus shows this trait several times throughout the Odyssey. One notable example is when he holds back from killing Polyphemus, the cyclops, and hence saving his men from being slaughtered.

Most important virtue that Odysseus showed was once again loyalty! Loyalty was basically the central theme of the Odyssey. Odysseus showed a great devotion to his family, his country and his God. His loyalty was unwavering! Through his journey he had many opportunities to be unfaithful to his wife, renounce his country and ignore his beliefs. Even though he sometimes faltered and some of his decision had negative consequences, his loyalty and love for his wife and desire to return home never waned.

Dante’s Divine Comedy is one of the greatest works of history. You read the first line of his story and it feels like as if you were Dante himself. It really makes you question your morals and altitude toward others. If you read the Divine Comedy, you would say that it makes it clear that every human being is subject to temptation and sin, and that every sinner would be punished. Yet, it also shows that every human being is also free to alter his own behavior in order to avoid punishment. An example in our world today would be the fear of imprisonment because of murder or theft. Dante showed the world to be full of powerful and dark forces which can tempt any human off the path of righteousness. Yet, he created an alternative to hell. An opportunity for salvation is what he intended to show. That no matter what one do, there is always a way to salvation.

Dante wanted to teach us how to accept the consequences of our actions. Yet, that might put a lot of us in a dilemma. There is a basic structure for every action that one intends to perform. For those who show faith in their actions and question their morals and tend to reform their actions based on that, there will always be hope. Dante shows that after being lost in life and entering hell he finds his way to escape this fate. He clearly illustrated the idea of do good to receive good in life. He symbolized a golden rule in life, which is treat people the way you wish be treat! It is really something worth living by.