At the beginning of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus is on an island with the beautiful nymph, Kalypso. He has been away from home for many years, first fighting in the Trojan War, and then waylaid while the gods messed about with him. At this moment, Kalypso tells Odysseus that if he stays with her, she will give him immortality. Longing for his wife, Odysseus turns her down.
According to a character in Erich Segal’s novel, The Class, Odysseus’s decision reveals the theme of The Odyssey, namely: “The imperfections of the human state are outweighed by the glory of human love.” That statement has stayed with me since I read it when I was 15. Since receiving my ALS diagnosis, however, it has taken on greater significance. When I feel myself leaning too far into despair, the truth of those words pulls me back and brings me comfort.