I’m sure you are familiar with this quote. It was said by Macbeth and the full quote is:
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more; it is a tale tole by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing!”
This quote should be put on the desk of every predator in the world. It should be sewn onto every flag. It should be hung on huge banners in every Parliament. It should be shown on every military uniform. It should be the center piece of every boardroom. It should be in large letters at the entrance of every mansion and at the masthead of every luxury motor yacht. It should also be hung on the wall of every home and be displayed in every nursery and school room. If it were, I wonder what the impact on humans would be. I suspect it would be profound. Why, you ask? Because it spells out the reality of our short, meaningless lives. Because it puts us in our place, shows us our complete insignificance in the scheme of things.
Our world is full of sound and fury.
Everywhere greedy humans are amassing fortunes that they can never spend. Everywhere nations are arming themselves, preparing to fight in wars that have no winners. Everywhere, people are trying to become Presidents and Prime Ministers or heads of the World Bank or the IMF or multi-national corporations or financial institutions or Deans in universities or bank managers…
Everywhere people are plotting how to get rid of their competitors, how to trick the public into buying this or that, how to avoid paying tax, how to get this woman or that into bed, how to climb the corporate ladder, how to get elected, how to get on television, how to get a breast implant or a hair transplant, how to get hold of pornography…
They are totally engaged in the contrived sound and fury of the world but remain steadfastly unaware of the fact that it signifies nothing. Nothing!
If human beings realized their insignificance and their mortality, they might well change their behaviour. They might become more caring, less conceited. They might become more generous, less selfish. They might become less aggressive, less violent, less greedy and enjoy their brief moment in the sun eating, drinking and being merry with their fellow travelers.
I have always been aware of my insignificance. I became aware of it while visiting Greek ruins last summer and seeing the thresholds of houses worn down by human footsteps of those who lived 3,000 years ago. They were gone and forgotten. All too soon, I knew, I would take their place.
Friends, keep in mind this post and make the most of the rest of your life. Fill it with laughter and merriment. Care if you can for others and give them what you can.
You will be blessed by them which will surely signify something!
