7. Achilles Heel
Where it’s from: Introduced in Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles was a soldier of great renown. Prophecy foretold of an early death, so Achilles’ mother took him to the River Styx and dipped him in, which supposedly offered invulnerability. Unfortunately, Achilles was held by the heel when dipped in the river and so his heel was never protected. He would die after many victories by a poisonous arrow shot in his heel.
What it means: Nobody’s perfect. Nobody has every base covered. Nobody’s invincible. Prepare as much as possible, and know that some things you just have to accept, because while planning is essential, plans are useless.
How it relates: Sun Tzu argues that the best leaders shore up their own vulnerabilities before worrying about the vulnerabilities of their enemies. By eliminating (minimizing) your own weaknesses you make yourself invincible (or as close as possible), and thus you win the war before it is fought. It’s very carpe-diem-esque, and when thinking about the myth of Achilles, we should think about at least two perspectives: that of Achilles and that of his enemies.
Achilles, endowed with the confidence of a god, eventually learned that he wasn’t one. With that realization comes various themes of humility, gratuity and appreciation. Defensiveness as well. Maybe you do need a plan, or a reminder that even the best laid plans go awry; that no plan can be as foolproof as Achilles appeared to be. Sometimes things are simply out of your control, and you should maintain awareness of things you can’t control that might affect you. Plan as if they’ll happen and live as if they won’t.
When thinking of Achilles’s potential enemies, themes of hope, determination, and confidence come to mind, like David beating Goliath. In both cases, Sun Tzu’s strategy can be applied. In fact, it doesn’t matter if you’re at war or not; his lesson always applies because this cliché always applies.
No matter what we’re working on — relationships, school, parenting, work — we will always have weaknesses. Granted, in the modern era it is sometimes more sensible to focus on your strengths than to shore up your weaknesses, but in that case are the weaknesses you’re talking about really your weaknesses in terms of your overall goals? Can it be a weakness if it’s not holding you back, or a threat to hold you back in the future? Maybe, but it’s still good to prioritize what you’ll focus on based on how it will impact your life.
That goes for developing hobbies vs developing skills as well. In this case I’ll say hobbies are generally more beneficial for mental health and stimulation, and skills are helpful for raising your income and security. I characterize it this way because I believe this is the way many parents are thinking about your liberal arts major or acting career. You’ll probably have more fun pursuing those things in your 20s, but you’ll probably be more secure and able to support yourself if you spend that time working towards degrees, getting a few promotions, whatever.
They see the long-term trade off and want you to have the security. They’re not disappointed in the career, they’re worried about your future. Worried about you living month-to-month because that seems like a step back in the lineage. You want the quality of life to go up through the generations and the safe, boring route is safe and relatively stable. This is a balance that everyone has to strike.
It’s tempting to say just go for the boring route and play guitar on the side. Do that blog for fun, and see if it goes anywhere while you build a more stable foundation and resume. Being a doctor is fulfilling in itself. And that’s all solid advice. You’ll be financially secure with few weak spots. Hobbies can turn into really good or stable jobs. David beat Goliath, and someone beat Achilles. It’s safer to shore up your finances and do that food truck or stationary business on the side, but does the safe route take down Achilles?
When reviewing the story of Achilles, we see a wide spectrum of human ambition and the themes that drive and challenge us. It lays bare the myth of the invincible and gives life to the thought that on any given day anyone can beat anyone. It can happen from luck, but proper planning and self-awareness make it easier. Proper planning and objectivity also make it so less things are “outside of your control.”
It’s the realization that there is no River Styx and you probably won’t win the lottery; you’ll need to defend yourself. You’ll need to make choices that determine your long-and-short-term security, and your long-and-short-term happiness, and seeing how those two things relate and can be compatible or mutually exclusive.
This of course means being aware of your environment. Looking at where jobs are moving, what skills are becoming in-demand. What styles if you’re an artist. And this all requires objectivity because if you’re not really creating something quality that matches peoples’ tastes, you better have some really good marketing to keep your business afloat.
Layoffs, unexpected expenses, health risks, lottery winnings. All of these things can happen and all of them could go bad. Your Achilles heel could be your Achilles leg if you lack the humility and objectivity to plan and react to the world around you for the life you want to live. Get a retirement account whether you want to be a banker or a painter and think about protecting your floor, how you’re staying secure and employable while pursuing a high-quality life.
