Discussion Question 3

Everyone has some sort of internal battle with themselves about what they are supposed to pursue in their future. The only thing that is really different between each and every one of us is what the battle is between. That can depend on the family a person is born into or the era that people are born into. Everything in life has some sort of opposition to it; it is just deciding what is the best way for you to live your life. After putting some thought into question number 3 I believe that The Warrior Code and The Familial Code are mutually exclusive in some sort of way. One reason, or the main reason, that these codes are mutually exclusive is because it is hard, if not impossible, to put full effort into two things at once.

           vs.          

To make the decision to start a family is a life changing choice. Raising a family is a tough thing to do. So many components and responsibilities come into play when you have a significant other and then adding children to the mix makes the whole thing called life even more complex. Just to get a two person family starting out there is a whole list of things that could benefit them.

• A house
• A car
• A savings account
• A reliable job
• Time

That list could keep going on for a little ways yet too. Then once a couple gets most or all of the things on that list fulfilled they may decide they want to have some children. Once that decision is set in motion another list comes into play and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Having a family is an investment that a person makes. In The Iliad Hector has both a wife and child and is a warrior in the war. It seems as though it isn’t working out very well though. Hector’s wife asks him to stop fighting. However, he doesn’t do that and ends up being killed. Even though he tried choosing both in the end the warrior part of him seemed to have won and he went down as a warrior not a family man. That is one good example showing how those two codes are mutually exclusive.

To make the decision to become a warrior is also life changing. But, it doesn’t seem as though a person needs to have as many material things. Their list isn’t quite as long unless it comes to qualities that the person holds.

• Weaponry
• Armor (of some sort, depending on the era)
• Strength
• Courage
• Health

Those are really just a few of the things that a warrior would need and those main things that a he/she needs have to do with them, and only them, as a human being. They don’t necessarily have to worry about a family or any other people. While they do try and protect their fellow soldiers they don’t have anyone that they need to support with money and other objects that go along with being a family person. They live more day by day, I feel not necessarily planning for a future after the warrior part of their life is up. Achilles just pursued the war basically and worked to beat the people opposing him. He didn’t really have much time for a family.

While in this day and age many soldiers that are across seas do seem to have families I still think that The Warrior Code and The Familial Code are mutually exclusive of each other. Like I said above it is very difficult, if not impossible, to put full effort into two things at once. It’s really a choice between one or the other to me because this are two hugely life changing codes that a person must put a lot of effort into.