To Be or Not To Be

“To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause: there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life; William Shakespeare - To be, or not to be (from Hamlet 3/1) To be or not to be’ is the most famous words in the works of Shakespeare – probably, even perhaps the most famous anywhere. That is partly because the opening words are so interesting, memorable and intriguing but also because Shakespeare ranges around several cultures and practices to borrow the language for his images, and because he’s dealing here with profound concepts, putting complex philosophical ideas into the mouth of a character on a stage, communicating with an audience with a wide range of educational levels. The question for him was whether to continue to exist or not – whether it was more noble to suffer the slings and arrows of an unbearable situation, or to declare war on the sea of troubles that afflict one, and by opposing them, end them. To die. He pondered the prospect. To sleep – as simple as that. And with that sleep we end the heartaches and the thousand natural miseries that human beings have to endure. It’s an end that we would all ardently hope for. To die. To sleep. To sleep. Perhaps to dream. Yes, that was the problem, because in that sleep of death the dreams we might have when we have shed this mortal body must make us pause. That’s the consideration that creates the calamity of such a long life. Because, who would tolerate the whips and scorns of time; the tyrant’s offences against us; the contempt of proud men; the pain of rejected love; the insolence of officious authority; and the advantage that the worst people take of the best, when one could just release oneself with a naked blade? Who would carry this load, sweating and grunting under the burden of a weary life if it weren’t for the dread of the after life – that unexplored country from whose border no traveller returns? That’s the thing that confounds us and makes us put up with those evils that we know rather than hurry to others that we don’t know about. So thinking about it makes cowards of us all, and it follows that the first impulse to end our life is obscured by reflecting on it. And great and important plans are diluted to the point where we don’t do anything Very important words and thoughts to think about. Do you really think you have not been exposed to this? Even my son was from an early age (about 8) as the storyline of Disney film The Lion King is based on Hamlet so there you have it!!! One of my favorite books takes its name from above (what dreams may come by Richard Matheson) We all have trails and tribulations in our lives, it’s a regular rollercoster of a ride. Living can sometimes feel in effect, a kind of slow death, a submission to fortune's power. On the other hand, death is initiated by a life of action, rushing armed against a sea of troubles—a pretty hopeless project, if you think about it, well I don’t mean to the death of course but we must face our problems head on, fight for what is important in this life…whether its love, contact with your child, personal battles, we still must muster and march on forth. TO SLEEP, PERCHANCE TO DREAM…. Hamlet tries to take comfort in the idea that death is really "no more" than a kind of sleep, with the advantage of one's never having to get up in the morning. Do we really want to give in to outrageous fortunes in this modern world? No…we must never give in, always focus on it bigger picture but approach it with baby steps. Is it better to suffer the various ways in which it sucks to be alive, or to kill yourself? I am using the term “kill yourself” not in the hanging yourself from the rafters meaning but to simply give up and give in to what life throws at you, we can endure much more that we think we can and up with soak it up we can come out stronger in the end. various ways in which life sucks: the oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely (humiliation), the pangs of despised love [love’s rejection or realisation ], the law's delay, missing your child, fearing false gossip, the slow deterioration on dementia of a beloved mother…etc, etc, etc… These are the slings and arrows that fortune outrageously flings at you: annoying, but not immediately fatal. Only in aggregate are they possibly going to eventually end you but don’t allow them to accumulate, search out the good and fight against the bad and unjust, speak out about your fears and don’t be afraid to call out love when you see it. Strength is born from within, never forget.