7/8/2026
Yesterday, while having lunch, I was listening to the Odyssey story. After that, I was wondering the epic story was written over 2000 years ago, what is it that makes it still popular today?
For a brief summary, The Odyssey, attributed to the Greek poet Homer, begins after the Trojan War. Odysseus, king of Ithaca, spends ten years struggling to return home after offending Poseidon, the god of the sea. Along the way, he encounters mythical dangers—the Cyclops, the enchantress Circe, the Sirens, and many others.
Meanwhile, back in Ithaca, his wife Penelope faithfully waits for him while fending off suitors who have taken over his household, and his son Telemachus searches for news of his missing father. At last, with the help of the goddess Athena, Odysseus returns in disguise, defeats the suitors, reunites with his family, and finally comes home after twenty years away.
For all his heroic deeds, after victory and glory, what Odysseus longed for most was simply returning home -- the place where he belonged.
More than 2,700 years have passed since Homer told Odysseus's story, yet its emotional appeal hasn't changed. Today we may travel farther than ever before, build successful careers, or seek adventure in distant lands. But somewhere deep inside us remains the same longing—to return to the place, and the people, where we belong.
As I wrote those words, I found myself thinking again about the Korean clinician who visited us on July 1. She had left her home and family behind to build a new life in America. Living here alone, thousands of miles from her parents in Korea, she spoke with a sadness that many first-generation immigrants would recognize.
I also thought of a friend here in America. His daughter will start college this fall. This summer, he took her back to China to visit relatives and reconnect with family roots. In a way, it was his own version of a homecoming—not because he was returning permanently, but because he wanted his daughter to know where she came from.
Odysseus spends ten years trying to get home after the war. Many immigrants spend decades trying to reconcile two homes—the one they left behind and the one they have built.
Finally, east or west, home is best. Home is the symbol of belonging. That's why it resonated with the Korean clinician and why The Odyssey has never grown old after nearly three millennia. The story endures because, despite all the changes in civilization, that human longing has remained unchanged.
