Shakespeare on the Acceptance and the Liberation From Meaning
What does the father of modern literature teach us about leading a meaningful life?
Illustrious personalities punctuate the sheet of history. The grandeur of those individuals echoes throughout the centuries. We revere them, envy their notoriety, and covet their stature. For many of us, life revolves around its actualization: to be admired and remembered.
Yet, a cosmic viewpoint reveals the fallacy of this obsession. From Hippocrates to Elon Musk, all great many dissipate like the rest of us, leaving a lifeless shrine for their name. Most of us cannot accept this nothingness and find comfort in the strive for monumental achievement. We cage ourselves with wires of obtuseness and bars of fear.
In Shakespeare’s “All the world’s a stage” , the Bard dresses god as a playwright and existence as a show. We receive a name, environment, personality, and hopes — a character. Different periods have different roles. We sometimes clench our chest and weep over a lost love, while other times drudge through medical school while fostering an old dream.
When we first get on stage, we are excited and enthusiastic, run to and fro, explore the scenery, and socialize with our fellow cast members. But at some point, we forget we are in a play and get over-attached to our character. We become anxious; we act of fear and crave to stand out as if to jump and yell at the director: “Save me!” We enter a crowded race with a fictitious goal.
Salvage lies within our past. We ought to integrate the wonder of youth with the independence of adulthood. No child feels insignificant; they beam from play and curiosity. Liberation comes when we let go of what role seems significant and the role we have with its wondrous opportunities for joy, contribution, and love.
The curtain will fall on us all. Savor each situation, each experience, each moment — pleasant or painful.
Originally published at on September 12, 2023.
