WHAT happens to a hero who survived a war, monsters, storms and the wrath of gods, only to find that the hardest part of his struggle is finding his way home?
Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster film is an exhilarating adaptation of Homer’s epic poem. It is the saga of Odysseus, one of the mythical heroes of the Trojan War. His role was pivotal because he concocted the idea of building a gigantic wooden horse that convinced the Trojans to bring it inside their impenetrable walls. The ruse succeeded when the Greek soldiers tucked inside emerged at nighttime, subdued the guards, and opened the gates for Agamemnon and his Greek hordes to enter and destroy the great city of Troy.
However, Odysseus’ triumph was frowned upon by the gods and came with a terrible cost. As his fleet sailed back home, they encountered different challenges on strange islands that killed most of his men. They faced the Cyclops, giant knights, the enchantress Circe who turned his men into swines, the alluring sea Sirens, the whirlpool Charybdis, the tentacle monster Scylla, and even Hades’ Underworld where restless spirits resided. These adventures were narrated by Homer in “The Odyssey.” But beyond the adventures were deeper and lifelong lessons on glory, honor, moral choices and eternal love that connected with people and surpassed eons in time.
Odysseus is known for his patience, intelligence over brute force, courage and loyalty, sometimes even to a fault. But his flaws — arrogance, stubbornness and misplaced confidence — also brought him pain and led to the deaths of his men. The Greek god Poseidon tormented him on his journey back home. Poseidon became enraged after Odysseus blinded his son, the Cyclop Pholyphonus, and later mocked him by revealing his true identity. His fleet sailed through the Mediterranean Sea, wandering and lost, with each island visited ending in terrible mistakes, horrors and death.
When his crew devoured the sacred cattle of Helios, the Sun god, all his surviving men perished in a violent storm at sea. Odysseus alone survived and was marooned on an island where the beautiful nymph Calypso sheltered and nursed him. There, Odysseus remained for seven years unaware that his wife, Penelope, his son, Telemachus, and his kingdom, Ithaca, longed for his return. It appears that he had consumed the lotus flower, which made Odysseus forget the desire to return home, became comfortable and complacent in Calypso’s love. Meanwhile, his kingdom was laid to ruin by suitors seeking to marry Penelope. They pillaged his food, drank his wine, and plunged his kingdom into disarray.
When Odysseus finally returned to Ithaca, he disguised himself as a beggar. Faced with suitors who had abused his wife’s hospitality and plundered his home, he had to remain cautious and allow his legendary mind to outwit them. In a contest to string his bow and shoot an arrow through a row of axes, Odysseus revealed himself. He lured all the suitors in one place and brutally massacred them. His righteous vengeance restored his rule and reclaimed his kingdom for his son, carrying with him the painful wisdom from his long journeys.
The Philippines could be likened to the Greek hero Odysseus and his encounters with tragedies and blunders. The country has gone through a vicious cycle — from stability to instability, from economic boom to bust, and from meteoric rise to unexplained decline. Like Odysseus, the country possesses bright talents, courageous people and abundant resources. Yet it still grapples with finding its path and realizing its fullest potential.
Our colonial experiences under Spain, the United States and Japan seemed insurmountable, but like Odysseus, the country prevailed and even thrived. Yet the Philippines sometimes appears lost in its path, with destruction and tragedy at every corner. Many Filipinos today seem trapped in a modern Calypso — not through the lotus flower, but through social media gossip, grapevines and destructive vices. The loss of purpose, ambition and will can imprison our people just as surely as any island imprisoned Odysseus. And there are suitors and monsters lurking, ready to rob our people and plunder the nation’s wealth without remorse. Like Odysseus, the odds may seem against Filipinos, yet they continue to struggle and find their way out of their quagmires.
I am, indeed, hopeful the Philippines can redeem itself and find its way home despite its stubbornness and disorganized systems. The country has sometimes seemed forsaken by the gods, but its people have repeatedly survived their greatest trials and risen against all forms of adversity. And like Odysseus, the Philippines can restore its kingdom and sail toward the sunset. And these painful memories will not weigh us down but even strengthen the next generation of Filipinos who have learned from the tragic lessons of the past.
