This article is about the story of The Choice of Hercules’, which is a metaphor for the ability we all have to make choices and the consequences of those choices. The version of The Choice of Hercules presented here is an excerpt from Donald Robertson’s book How to Think Like a Roman Emperor.
One day, as a young man, Hercules was walking along an unfamiliar path when he came upon a fork in the road, where he sat down and began contemplating his future. Unsure which direction to take, he found himself suddenly confronted by two mysterious goddesses.
The first appeared as a beautiful and alluring woman dressed in fine clothing. She was called Kakia, although she (falsely) claimed that her friends called her Eudaimonia, meaning happiness and fulfillment. She barged before her companion and earnestly pleaded with Hercules to follow her path. It led, she promised, to the easiest and most pleasant way of life, a shortcut to true happiness. She told him that he could live like a king, avoiding hardship and enjoying luxury beyond most men’s wildest dreams, all delivered to him through the labor of others.
After listening to her for a while, Hercules was approached by the second goddess, Arete, a less boastful and more modest woman who shone with natural beauty. To his surprise, she wore a grave expression. She warned him that her path led in a very different direction: it would be long, challenging, and require much hard work. Speaking plainly, she told Hercules that he would suffer. He would be doomed to walk the earth in rags, reviled and persecuted by his enemies.
“Nothing that is really good and admirable,” cautioned Arete, “is granted by the gods to men without some effort and application.” Hercules would be called upon to exercise wisdom and justice and to face mounting adversity with bravery and self-discipline.
Overcoming extraordinary obstacles through courageous and honorable deeds, the goddess said, was the only true path to fulfillment in life. Hercules famously chose the heroic path of Arete, or “Virtue,” and was not seduced by Kakia, or “Vice.”
When you need to make a decision, think about whether you’ll choose the easy path or the difficult path.