# A Choice of Futures or Cuchullain's Bargain

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-choice-of-futures-or-cuchullains-bargain/698500>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [September 14, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-choice-of-futures-or-cuchullains-bargain/698500 "2014-09-14T21:27:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-choice-of-futures-or-cuchullains-bargain/698500/21 "2014-09-15T23:08:15Z")

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> [@Disposable Hero](#):
>
> Heh, actually I’m kind of a romantic at heart but I don’t think I could truly be happy and content knowing that my decision had led, albeit possibly indirectly, to the death of millions even if the people from the future told me I’d get over it.

I was alluding to your username. You are asking whether or not we would want to be disposable heroes.

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**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-choice-of-futures-or-cuchullains-bargain/698500/22 "2014-09-15T23:45:10Z")

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> [@eclectic\_wench](#):
>
> Nitpickery, but I think this is Achilles’s bargain, not Cúchulainn’s. Achilles was offered the choice between a short life of glory and a long dull one, and chose the short life of glory. Cúchulainn was just the subject of a prophecy saying he would have a short life of glory. He didn’t get to make the choice.

Yeah, no one remembers the ancient Greek guy who made the other choice–Ioannis the great-grandfather.

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**Author:** ![jayrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-choice-of-futures-or-cuchullains-bargain/698500/23 "2014-09-15T23:53:20Z")

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Me, I’ll stop the war. I have no SO, no kids (not counting the horses) and my line ends with me anyway. I’m good with preventing the suffering and deaths of millions.

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**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-choice-of-futures-or-cuchullains-bargain/698500/24 "2014-09-16T00:52:36Z")

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I’d go for the true love and relative obscurity. I just lost my father last Friday, and my mother had a long, loving 62 years with him. Not famous but there will be tons of family and friends at the funeral.

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