Bleeding Edge

Seeing the play of William Shakespeare “As You Like It” I have embraced the idea that “all the world is a stage” and we are all “players” in this “Life Experience” because it gives us the ultimate Freedom to choose the roles we enact…

And by seeing Life as a Play, and always recalling that You have the Freedom of Choice to “Be who you choose to be” — your lightness of spirit will follow, and this alone will make your Life more successful.

This newfound incredible lightness of Being, through the understanding of Free WIll, and the power of Choice, will surely make Life’s black valleys smoother, and the heavy winters lighter, and it will turn your adversities easier to bear, cause it will make the good days far more fun, and any problems that are thrown your way easily solvable. So take your choice to be happy as a little kid at play — keeping your work and life going-ons cheerful.

Do this because far too much hinges on your happiness, and purpose of Life and it’s all effectively activated when you see the whole thing as play acting.

Your point of view of the reason for being of service and being in this Life to learn and educate others as well, is what distinguishes the Leaders from the followers. This is what distinguishes the Gladiators in the arena from the mere lowly spectators, cheering or booeing as directed by your hommies, the crowd conductors, the media manipulators, and the various cheerleaders in your Life’s play.

Thus seeing Life as a Play and seeing your Life a an Actor give you Power. Raw power to act as you want and need to serve. Be there when you are needed and act your part is what is all about. And by playing along with all others in a Grand Play gives you the necessary understanding that we all succeed or fail together. By investing in other people’s success we become far better vested in our own common success. And when you see your company as the conduit of the Success or failure of yourself — then it become easy to Serve willingly.

Act even when the naysayer say otherwise.

Act fully in the interests of your principles, beliefs, and company — and let the Critics wail…

Act and act again.

And little by little you learn to act and invest not only in your personal success, or in your company, or in your family, or in your small circle of friends and fellow citizens, or in your tribe, state, and nation — but you open up your eyes and invest in the success of the whole human family … fully knowing that their success is your success.

Seeing the play of Shakespeare, titled: “As You Like It” these thoughts course through my head because the play also brings forth the infamous quote that ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE…

“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,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything”

Now you might be wondering in his High Value Life of Purpose, Meaning, and Service — what was Shakespeare going for?

When the actor “Jacques” says “All the world’s a stage” he’s being more depressing than ever, but in a wise sort of way. For one thing, he draws our attention to the constant drama that is day-to-day living for most of us. But what he’s really doing here is reducing human life to an acting role, which is a pretty cynical thing to do, and yet a philosophical tool of Cognitive Dissonance.

And that’s what Theatre and Life, is all about.

Now most of us aren’t professional actors, but we do know how to “act” in our day-to-day lives. White Lies abound, and so do the darker ones. Betrayals come from the ones we trust the most, and yet we keep on loving them fully knowing…

Serious lying is left for the lawyers and politicians but we also know how to say that “We are Fine” or say “thank-you” and foolishly smile at idiots, strangers, and buffoons alike. We pretend our Girlfriend’s food is actually edible, or that our family knows how to cook, even though we feed the dog with most of it.

We put on a great show for our colleagues, partners, Investors, and Boards of Directors when we’ve screwed up… even though everybody knows us as the “Truthful Aristide”

Even the No BS policy is full of it. Compassion rarely enters in our bloody quest to appear like the Naked Truth. And even though this brutality of full frontal and Commando Business talk hurts people — we still indulge in it with a fair amount of glee…

Ergo, we’re all consciously acting at one moment or another. But we act subconsciously too. We are playacting, with ready made smiles and laughter at silly jokes and unintelligent humour. We believe in religion and ideologies of incredible operatic and make believe drama in all it’s glory more theatrical than any theatre play I’ve ever seen.  We all pretend to seek clarity and meaning in Life’s Mission, and renewed Purpose, when clearly the point of it all, just might be random atoms loving each other and occasionally colliding, in this physical plane of what we deem as our Universe.

Of course, Shakespeare also draws our attention to the fact that the guy saying all this, is really nothing more than an actor performing a role on a stage. Shakespeare is keen in reminding his play-going audiences that they’re at the theatre, and should remember that as he is also “playing” a quiet part in all of his plays.

Shakespeare’s acting company worked in a theatre called “The Globe” on the South side of the river Thames. But this theatre in the round, named “Globe” whose name’s meaning is also “The World” served far more than his theatre’s audience …

He Served the World.
And not just in setting the morals of the time in England.

He served the whole World. The Globe. And all of it’s people…

Get it?

But there’s more to this theatrical speech than Shakespeare just giving “Awesome Truths” to his audience.  Through the mouth of Jacques — the Bard breaks down all human life into seven stages: 1)Puking infant, 2)Whining school boy, 3)Young, sighing lover, 4)The soldier, 5)The “justice” or upstanding leader, 6)Silly old man who thinks he’s still young, and finally 7)Super-old man, toothless, blind, and as helpless as a baby.
He thinks that all men fall into these categories, and that these define who people are. So, if you’re a super old guy, then you have no teeth, no faculties, and no real purpose. Sounds a bit harsh, doesn’t it? Basically, the world according to Jacques is full of people who are all the same, and who go from one state of dependency (as infants) to another (as elderly).

However, as it turns out, this isn’t a new idea. The whole seven-ages-of-man concept is pretty ancient. Am talking Aristotle and Pythagoras time, ancient. So Jacques might even be trying to show off a little here. And he’s also quoting an idea Shakespeare’s audience was already super familiar with.

But Shakespeare just adds a little theatrical twist to it. Instead of just being about the ages of man, this speech, is about the performance of these ages as well—on the stage play that is the world.

You probably noticed that Shaekspeare’s little formula for all of humankind is a major overgeneralization of human life. Can everyone just be separated into these specific seven categories?

No.

But in the purpose driven England, of the time, they didn’t think so either. There’s more to life than just being an infant, a debutante, a strong adult, a wise Senator, or a helpless old guy who relies on others for everything…

What William is sharing in the plays, is his wisdom. And he is also showing through play-acting that we are all dutiful players; and it’s best we accept it, and lighten up a little about it.

Don’t take Life too seriously because after all nobody gets out of this alive, and thus we might as well go for the gusto.

Enjoy Life and smile from within, while helping others to stand up and succeed, in order to fulfil their Life’s duty as best they can. Help others shine…

And this is what the Bard ultimately shows to the savvy and smart theatre patrons amongst us — teaching us through the actions of the most underrated character of the play “As You Like It” the courageous and loyal servant Adam, who brings meaning to Life, through Being of Service, in this very play.

So make yourself Useful and try to Be of Service in this Life, and all Existential Angst will disappear swiftly…

To Be Is To Serve.

Yours,
Pano

PS:

Shakespeare, had a more nuanced and even more uplifting outlook, about all Life, but he always stressed in his plays the quiet power, and the immense wisdom, of the Servant-Leader.

Be the One who helps.

Be the one who is deemed as useful.

Be the One who props up all others to stand up.

Let’s learn from that one unassuming Adam…

Serve and serve Cheerfully.

Solve problems for the general well-being.

Look to the Good.

In short Be Useful.

Be of high value and invest in the success of all others…

Serve.

And serve again.

And…

Soon enough people will make a beeline for your door.