To Be or Not to Be

“To be or not to be.”

One of the most universal lines in literature …  you may have even said it yourself once … because it sounded good – we often fall into that trap in the politics and rhetoric of election year.

You more likely didn’t study the quote in an English lesson on Shakespeare and know, that the line is from a soliloquy by Prince Hamelot.

What’s a soliloquy?

Well, you remember that time you overheard your mother talking to herself out loud and said, “Oh shit, am I in trouble now,” without realising she was doing this deliberately, so you would hear … that’s a soliloquy, or a version of it put to good use.

In Shakespeare’s play this particular soliloquy is about the merits of suicide as opposed to facing up to the suffering or consequences of the adverse situation that confronts the person sharing their thoughts – the very human nature of Shakespeare’s works portrayed in Old English – that in reality is as valid in today’s disharmony as it was then.

Life is not always a Summer breeze, a beach with oceans of money lapping at your feet or an easy ride on the back of someone else’s bike and for some people life becomes not a decision about what to do next but a battle with death itself.

When I see these constant references to mental health ‘encouraging the despair’ and how politicians say they will solve this problem, I despair, knowing that it will only be solved with education and exercise, not wokery or money.

Oddly though this particular line has inspired not only many, writers, musicians and movie themes but especially politicians who have reworked the quote to great advantage.

You may have heard the expression dripping through the lines of the movie, “Titanic” …  or possibly in Gene Roddenberry’s version in Star Trek “to continue, or not to continue” … but not so much in the speeches of many, particularly negro politicians, like Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, and “I have a dream” …

To be or not to be in these circumstances isn’t seen from the perspective of ‘death’s door’ but of encouraging other people by sharing thoughts as opposed to political rhetoric.

UhHa. Yes, you can see people just naturally doing this (or rather unnaturally in some cases) with determination, on social media.

The actors taking to the stage not only in rebellion but what appears to be a hardwired self defense mechanism against the tyranny that can emerge in the power struggles of politics.

Education is going to be a political hot potato this election and so it should be. Let’s hope though not in isolation but in reflection of what we’ve lost or disposed of.

Let’s gratefully remember Shakespeare’s contributions to history. Previously there had been only eight words in the English language; eat, sleep, drink and five different words for turnip.

Now, you have a choice: You can repeat that line, if you think it sounds good, or you can come up with something less comical and more productive.