Oh to Be Remembered...

Kleos is a Greek word that means something close to eternal glory. In the Iliad, Achilles is given a choice to either be able to stay home raise a family and be known for a small amount of time only through his decedents, or to go to war and become the greatest warrior ever to live on the earth and die young in a blaze of glory. He chose the latter, to not return home to raise a family but to have fame that last beyond his lifetime. And he does have that fame. He had an arrow go through his heel which killed him instantly and gave us the "Achilles tendon." God craves His own Kleos. It is clear in the Bible that He tells the Israelites to do certain things so that "I may be known and remember as the only God" In communion, one of the sacraments, Jesus says to "do this in remembrance of me." We in our own lives do things that we can gain glory in all forms. In personal ways, winning small victories of everyday life, in public ways, becoming the man/woman who saves the day at work and gains the promotion or to doing something to achieve the attention of those around you. Most people would choose to have the everlasting Kleos than the notion of being at home and at peace. Is this selfishness from always wanting to be known? Can it be selfish if Jesus and God wanted their name to be remembered? (Although a case can probably be made that their desire for glory differs from ours)I recently had a friend tell me that if given the opportunity, he would sell his soul to the devil in order to be great at basketball and to have everything he wanted for the rest of his life. I was astonished to find how serious he actually was. It was all for the glory, and to be remembered after he dies. I have the same inclinations to go out and make a name for myself, but then I think to myself, that this is something, that I could be doing for the rest of my life. I would not know when I achieved enough greatness to be remembered by my grandchildren's grandchildren. It would be an ongoing chase that ends only when I am dead. Maybe its worth it, maybe my secret ambition for writing this blog is to gain glory as a writer (even though I have a feeling that I am the only person who reads this) maybe I have already dedicated my life to achieve this Kleos. It better be worth it if I already started, I have a feeling it is not though. But in the society that I live in, what else is there to focus on?