The Power of Perseverance

Ever since I was very young, I have loved learning about mythology. I adored the different stories and how they explained things like the changing seasons or death. I have learned a lot from them, and I hope to show that even today, there are lessons to be learned from ancient stories. 

Many people know about mythology. Whether it be the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Norse or other cultures, they all have one thing in common: ancient cultures created their legends and stories to teach others or answer questions. Some people may think that because these stories were first told hundreds of years ago they no longer hold any meaning in the current times, but this is incorrect. 

Many myths are still relevant today, but the two I have decided to focus on are The Odyssey and Isis and Ra’s Name. These two powerful myths convey a strong message of perseverance. 

In The Odyssey, Odysseus, the protagonist, must make a harrowing journey over many years in order to return to his home and family. During this time, he faces many enemies, such as cyclops, angry gods, sirens, and other monsters. Odysseus showed great perseverance by not giving up and continuing toward his goal. In Isis and Ra’s Name, Isis is the goddess of magic. She makes it her mission to learn the magical arts and hold power over every other being. When Isis became one of the most powerful gods, she still needed power over the king of the gods and lord of the sun, Ra, to complete her mission. To ensure she overpowers Ra, Isis creates a snake, which bites him, and fatally poisons him. Isis offers to help Ra in exchange for his secret name, which will give her power over him, and Ra has no choice but to agree. 

Now you know that these two stories promote the idea that persistence pays off, so how is it helpful in a world where everything seems much easier for us? The standards of the 21st century are incredibly high, and it is much harder to meet the expectations, especially for young people. A trick to navigating this more intense world is perseverance. 

With this powerful tool by your side, you can overcome any obstacle.

We may not have to deal with monsters, and our goals may not include learning the king of the god’s secret name, but we have the hurdles that require us to persevere to succeed.

Getting into the college we wish to attend, acing the math exam, all of these circumstances are situations where the will to succeed is needed.

When I was in grade seven, I attended school online because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a very drastic change and it took a while for me to figure out new schedules, new platforms and ways to handle the changes. I refused to just drown in these challenges and instead I pushed through and found out what worked for me. By persevering I managed to enjoy my time during online school.

If you have a challenging problem in your life, do not give up. Use the power of perseverance—a power that has been around for centuries—and overcome your obstacles!