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The Moral of the Story
Lessons from The Odyssey
The Greek Textbook and Bible
• For the Greeks, The Iliad and The Odyssey were the foundation of their education.
• For Greek schoolboys, these books were their:– Textbooks– “Bibles”– Entertainment
Training Young People
• Teachers and parents would use these stories to raise the new generation.
• What lessons do you think they could teach from The Odyssey?– Think.– Pair.– Share.
Lessons for Each Stop
• Each adventure Odysseus can be used to teach a lesson.
• We will look at some of them.– Lotus Eaters– Cyclops / Aeolia– Circe– Hades– Sirens– Scylla and Charybdis– Helios’s cattle
Lotus Eaters
• Narcotics are dangerous and addictive.
• Distractions can cause us to never want to complete our goals.
Cyclops and Aeolia
• Curiosity can be dangerous.• Often you need to think your way out
of a situation, rather than fight your way out. Brain and brawn.
• Follow through on your objectives.– Don’t almost finish. Finish.
Circe
• Lust can turn people into animals.• You can get too comfortable.• Stay loyal amid the worst
temptations.
Hades
• You sometimes need to experience the worst to get the best.
• We can always learn from the past.– Heb. 12:1
Sirens
• Some things sound good but aren’t.• Find a way to avoid temptation.– Don’t simply trust your strength to
withstand it.
• Keep going. Do not rest on past accomplishments.
Scylla and Charybdis
• This is where we get the expression “between a rock and a hard place.”
• Sometimes you have to decide between two tough options.
• Avoiding one problem may lead you to another.– Trust God to get you out.
Helios
• Obey the rules.• Remember your responsibilities.– Don’t allow other people to ruin things
for you.
• Seemingly small actions can have huge consequences.
Main Lesson
• Life is about having a goal and overcoming obstacles to reach that goal.
• Obstacles come in different ways.– Some are self-inflicted.– Some are from other people.– Some are from “the gods.”
Overcoming Obstacles
• Some obstacles are self-inflicted.• What are examples from The
Odyssey of self-inflicted obstacles?– Odysseus’s pride.– Others?
• What are examples from our lives of self-inflicted obstacles?– Procrastination
Overcoming Obstacles
• Some obstacles come from others.• What are examples from The
Odyssey of other people being obstacles?– Cicones. Aeolus’s winds.– Others?
• What are examples from our lives of obstacles that others present?– Betrayal, drama…
Overcoming Obstacles
• Some obstacles come from the “gods.”
• What are examples from The Odyssey from the gods?– Storms, Helios’s cattle?– Others?
• What are examples from our lives of obstacles that we cannot help?– Our birth, our circumstances…
Overcoming Obstacles
• How does Odysseus overcome the obstacles in his path?– The gods help? His own efforts?
• How can we overcome the obstacles in our lives?