All The World As A Stage
January 11 2017 By Abiodun Giwa
Williams Shakespeare (Courtesy: Biography.com)
"All the world is a stage and all the men and women are merely players." This is Williams Shakespeare's famed statement in 'As You Like It', one of his popular plays.
Many of us who have read 'As You Like It' will attest to its lines about love and betrayal and how stupid people can be for falling in love.
But the lines in the play that describes the world as a stage, with the description of the life of an infant and the growth into adulthood, playing several roles, is what matters here.
Now, we all will realize that we are all mortals, born and who cannot escape death and leaves every human acquisition behind. The only thing humans are remembered for is how they may have helped humanity.
It is also instructive to remember that no one will remember the number of automobiles or houses we have. Recently, the New York Times published a story about a man who has given almost all his billions to the advancement of humanity while he is still here. The story says that the man actaullay has moved (with his wife) into rented apartment in California at over 80 years. The man said in one of his interviews on why he dispensed his wealth to help humanity still alive, he said that no one can wear two pants at a time or sleeps on two beds simultaneously.
Not all wealthy men can fit into the lifestyle of the gentleman in the Times' story. It is why a story of a man, who wishes to lead his country at all cost, despite his massive wealth, in the realm of a belief that the world is about seeking first the kingdom of money and wealth and every other thing shall be added unto it is instructive here, unlike the popular statement in the Bible that it is better to seek first the Kingdom of heaven and every other thing would added unto it.
With his wealth and connections, he has bamboozled his way to become a presidential candidate. On the day of the election, a poor couple, after casting their votes, they went indoor and prayed for peaceful outcome of the election. After their prayers, the husband asked the wife, who was blessed with the clairvoyance spirit to revreal what the higher powers may have revealed to her about the election and the likely outcome.
"What I saw in my vision is grim. I saw the millionaire, wearing a very expensive dress and he was happy that he was winning the election. But all of a sudden, I saw thunder struck from from the sky and the ground beneath the millionaire opened up and the millionaire sank, with only his head above the ground. Before he realized the danger he was in and began to call for help to save himself, the vision ended,"
"Are you sure that was what you saw in your vision?" the man asked his wife. "Yes, it was what I saw. I cannot add to it or remove from it."
The husband said that the country needs prayers and that the millionaire may not win the election. but when the election results were released, the millionaire won. Upon which the husband queried the veracity of his wife's vision. But the wife insists it was what she saw that she revealed.
However, before the end of the next day or so, the millionaire's best friend, a military commander and head of state, annulled his friend's election. The millionaire died in the struggle seeking to disannul his election. Whom did the millionaire offended and why a thunder against him from heaven?
We may never know whom the millionaire may have offended and why the heaven sent a thunder against him. What is clear is that the world is a stage and all men and women are merely players, with a higher power watching over us. If you disbelieve the existence of a higher power, you do so at your own peril.
Many of us who have read 'As You Like It' will attest to its lines about love and betrayal and how stupid people can be for falling in love.
But the lines in the play that describes the world as a stage, with the description of the life of an infant and the growth into adulthood, playing several roles, is what matters here.
Now, we all will realize that we are all mortals, born and who cannot escape death and leaves every human acquisition behind. The only thing humans are remembered for is how they may have helped humanity.
It is also instructive to remember that no one will remember the number of automobiles or houses we have. Recently, the New York Times published a story about a man who has given almost all his billions to the advancement of humanity while he is still here. The story says that the man actaullay has moved (with his wife) into rented apartment in California at over 80 years. The man said in one of his interviews on why he dispensed his wealth to help humanity still alive, he said that no one can wear two pants at a time or sleeps on two beds simultaneously.
Not all wealthy men can fit into the lifestyle of the gentleman in the Times' story. It is why a story of a man, who wishes to lead his country at all cost, despite his massive wealth, in the realm of a belief that the world is about seeking first the kingdom of money and wealth and every other thing shall be added unto it is instructive here, unlike the popular statement in the Bible that it is better to seek first the Kingdom of heaven and every other thing would added unto it.
With his wealth and connections, he has bamboozled his way to become a presidential candidate. On the day of the election, a poor couple, after casting their votes, they went indoor and prayed for peaceful outcome of the election. After their prayers, the husband asked the wife, who was blessed with the clairvoyance spirit to revreal what the higher powers may have revealed to her about the election and the likely outcome.
"What I saw in my vision is grim. I saw the millionaire, wearing a very expensive dress and he was happy that he was winning the election. But all of a sudden, I saw thunder struck from from the sky and the ground beneath the millionaire opened up and the millionaire sank, with only his head above the ground. Before he realized the danger he was in and began to call for help to save himself, the vision ended,"
"Are you sure that was what you saw in your vision?" the man asked his wife. "Yes, it was what I saw. I cannot add to it or remove from it."
The husband said that the country needs prayers and that the millionaire may not win the election. but when the election results were released, the millionaire won. Upon which the husband queried the veracity of his wife's vision. But the wife insists it was what she saw that she revealed.
However, before the end of the next day or so, the millionaire's best friend, a military commander and head of state, annulled his friend's election. The millionaire died in the struggle seeking to disannul his election. Whom did the millionaire offended and why a thunder against him from heaven?
We may never know whom the millionaire may have offended and why the heaven sent a thunder against him. What is clear is that the world is a stage and all men and women are merely players, with a higher power watching over us. If you disbelieve the existence of a higher power, you do so at your own peril.
