Thursday, December 11, 2014

Shakespeare Said It Best

There is nothing new under the sun.   Technology may change; but human interplay does not.   

The work of William Shakespeare contains many brilliant insights into the human condition; none more apt than the following quotation:

                                                 “All the world's a stage

                                                  And all the men and women merely players:

                                                  They have their exits and their entrances;

                                                 And one man in his time plays many parts...”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     - “As You Like It”  Act II Scene vii  

There are different interpretations of this quote. 

One:  We go through life from transition to transition.  Baby, Child, Teen, Young Adult, Adult, Senior; each transition has its own challenges and rites.  There are touchstones that according to society we are supposed to mark in each stage of life. (Not that I necessarily agree with these touchstones, but they are there.)  We interact with our fellow humans; they interact with us.  We come, we go; day in and day out. 

Two: We are just as much made of light and shadow as a character on a movie screen.  We are the ones taking on a persona when we take on a body.   We have the option to be anyone we want at any time we want.  We are no more married to any aspect of personality than an actor is to a role he or she plays.   There is great power in this.  We do not have to accept other's opinions concerning ourselves.  We are free to define ourselves one way one day; then if that doesn't work for us, we can define ourselves another way on another day.  We can build our own characters by collecting all the traits we want and eliminating those which hinder us.

Detachment is key. Banishing limiting beliefs from one's mind brings freedom.  It is imperative to disengage from the drama of life.  Nothing is accomplished by wallowing in drama (except for creating more drama.)  Observation brings insight; insight brings solution.   

Life is playing out on the world stage.   How do we choose to participate in it?   

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