I’m Embracing the Incessant Suffering of the Human Condition
The best heroes are tragic
Life has always been a struggle for those who endure it.
It comforts me to remember this when I’m feeling, as I am now, quite hopeless and overwhelmed by the troubles of the world. Oftentimes, I can soothe myself with happy distractions and mindful practices; but sometimes, the only thing that truly helps is to embrace the misery of the human condition and pray for wisdom.
Most recently, that wisdom came in the form of an interview with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star James Marsters. Yes, insight can be gleaned from all manner of sources. This time, it was Marsters retelling a nugget of truth he received from a fellow play actor in Chicago about the meaning of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”
“(He told me) ‘It’s just about a teenager who’s wondering if he should kill himself because he finally realized the world is totally messed up,’” Marsters said. “That’s the whole thing. Does Hamlet give up or does he try to change things?”
Is that really all there is?
Kind of.
For the 117 billion or so humans who have ever been born, life has sucked more often than not.
