For travelers that sailed through the Straight of Messina, coming too close to the cliffs would spell bloodshed. As Scylla would come out of the rocks with her six heads and snatch up sailors for lunch.
Sailing out of reach of Scylla presented an even bigger danger in the form of Charybdis. Charybdis was another sea monster cursed with an unquenchable thirst for the sea. She would swallow and expel the ocean with such force that caused a whirlpool capable of destroying ships.
The term we like to use today is being caught between a rock and a hard place which is much less graphic than the Ancient Greek version.
But we still have the same metaphor because we still face the same situations. We are faced everyday with choices. Many of these choices have known risks and they all feel bad.
Odysseus was advised to sail by Scylla and sacrifice six men instead of risking destruction of his whole ship.
What will you risk to prevent a bigger catastrophe later down the line? What hard decision could you take today to make a better future for yourself?