By Alberto Valenzuela
ISTOCK.COM/MAICA
A Life Beyond … the stories continue to speak about the impulse deep within humans to make things better for themselves, for those in need, and for their world.
W
hen I was a teenager, I read three books that touched my imagination and inspired me: Homer’s The Iliad; the Mayan creation story, Popol Vuh; and the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh.
Those stories resonated with me. I haven’t thought about them for a long time, but now I can see that they were compelling because their message went beyond an interesting narrative. Separated by centuries and continents, the stories continue to speak about the impulse deep within humans to make things better for themselves, for those in need, and for their world. In Homer’s story, Helen of Troy’s abduction launches a thousand ships to come to her rescue. Even though the epic poem is mostly about war, you cannot help but marvel at the commitment of the kings Menelaus, Agamemnon, Achilles, and Odysseus to each other. They support, advise, inspire, and stand side by side. For me, it’s a story of mankind trying to fix what was wrong at that time. An injustice had been committed, and they did not hesitate to act. Popol Vuh is a foundational creation narrative of the Mayan Indians of southern Mexico. The name could be translated as “Book of the People.”1 Among the stories that appear in the narrative, the Hero Twins join forces to bring harmony to the chaos caused by evil. They fight and succeed against Vucub-Caquix and his sons, who are the responsible for the chaos in their world. Uniquely presented with elements that are now foreign
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