Vain Apollo challenged Eros to an archery contest, to which Eros responded by shooting a gold tipped arrow and a lead tipped arrow. The gold tipped arrow hit Apollo, filling him with love and lust for Daphne, the daughter of river God Peneus. Daphne was hit by the lead arrow, as was filled with hate for anything having to do with love or romance. Apollo chased her, but she refused him and kept running. When she got tired, she called out to her father for help. He turned her into a laurel tree. Apollo would not abate--he claimed the tree as his own and made a wreath of the leaves. Now the laurel tree remains a symbol of Apollo.
It seems that humans have chased the possibility of eternal youth since the beginning of time. Of course, it has not been achieved through either mythical potions or scientific breakthroughs. But perhaps it will not be long before we will seriously have to ask ourselves if, given the choice, we would choose to be young forever. In Daphne's case, her eternal youth, though it was literal, seemed to be more enduring because of her association with Apollo. In this way, I feel that a lasting legacy is far more desirable than actual eternal youth. One of the great experiences of life is the progression--gaining experience and wisdom through age. And while staying young forever might sound alluring at first, eventually it would grow dull, not to mention that it would be impossible to build lasting and meaningful relationships. So I can confidently say that I don't wanna be forever young.
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