Friday, November 05, 2010

On Life: Achilles' Heel

It's been a busy time for me in the last two months. Apart from writing, I've had my family coming over, been taking driving lessons, and generally moving into a new phase of my life. I've also been catching up on my reading, as I've got so many books on my to-read list, it's unbelievable. But I still can't stop myself from buying more! In the last month, I've read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (this was quite a strange book, very different from what I would usually pick up, but it was a very good read nonetheless), The Boy Next Door by Irene Sabatini (I quite enjoyed reading this love story woven around the politics of Zimbabwe), and  Love at Dawn by Lara Daniels (a tale of love, forgiveness and redemption which I thoroughly enjoyed reading) and I'm looking forward to a couple more before the end of the year.

Ever since I saw the movie Troy, I've been fascinated with the main characters in the story, especially Achilles. He was the great hero of the Trojan War and apparently when he was a baby his mother dipped him into a river which made him invincible except for his heel. According to Greek mythology, Achilles grew to become a great warrior and no one could stop him until Paris, a prince of Troy managed to shoot an arrow into his heel. Thus the phrase "Achilles heel" came to mean a weakness or flaw that can lead to a person's downfall in spite of his overall strength. 

This story makes me think that we all have a weakness that can potentially lead to our downfall if we don't deal with it. I can think of many great men who have been destroyed by their lack of self-control when it comes to women. Some people have ended up in prison because of their greed for money. Some people have committed atrocious acts because of anger. And the list goes on. It may seem like it's not a big deal, and just overlook a small flaw in ourselves, but we do need to be careful. I know that I have my weaknesses too, and I have to constantly ask God for grace to overcome them. It can be all too easy to let one thing get out of hand, until we lose control and succumb to negative desires.

If you are struggling with some temptations or something that goes against your principles, please don't ignore it or hope it would go away by itself. You have to take steps to make sure you don't fall. For example, if you know your married boss at work is showing inappropriate interest in you, it would certainly not be wise to go on a dinner date with him. Do what you can to remove yourself from such sticky situations! One little slip of judgement could be all it takes, and before you know it, you are involved in an affair.

Oh well, that's enough sermonising for now, lol.  Check out some of my new stories and flash fiction before you leave! Thanks for visiting!

FG

9 comments:

  1. Hmm...that is so true!
    Seems like u've been busy, nice!

    Yes o, winter is indeed here! :-(

    May we see the new year in joy, peace and good health!

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  2. Just came from your series blog.. It was wonderful..
    Wishing you the very best in your writing career.

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  3. Oh FG, the time has flown by so fast, it's unbelievable. I now remember why i don't do new years' resolutions. I don't want to feel like a loser when it takes me longer than a year to do what i wrote down.

    Great reminder about being attentive to and working on our areas of weaknesses. I think it's good to keep our imperfections in mind, not in the sense of beating up ourselves over it but to remember that we must continue with the process of becoming a better person. I consider myself a work in progress.

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  4. Lol @ when was it June...

    I felt the same way after watching Troy but the lesson you've drawn out of it is so on point...it is actually in line with a recent thought that I should not give room for appearances of temptations...before they turn into something else..

    Stay blessed FG...

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  5. Yep, I agree totally. We all need to check ourselves, acknowledge our areas of weakness, and deal with them. Prayer is my weapon of choice,it is the only way to truly overcome unhealthy emotions. Heading over to your series blog now.

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  6. Great piece!!!

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  8. Anonymous1:43 am

    Thanks for good stuff

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  9. Anonymous10:56 pm

    How can i ask you for more details? Great post needda know more...

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