Reading Shakespeare’s plays has been distracting me from the onslaught of distressing events bombarding us from all media platforms. Was it the Bard’s prescience that produced the similarity to so many of our current events or is it that times have changed but human nature has not? The resemblance of the Shakespearian quotes to the calamities we face now is remarkable.
To share my concerns with readers or to not make waves? Is it wiser to write about the weather, a subject that defies personal opinion, or “to thine own self be true?” That is the question.
Should I scan the news briefly and refrain from agitation or explore the unpleasant events in depth? “Is it nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous lies or oppose them?” Is it wiser to resist reading the newspapers at breakfast and therefore not digest the misery in our midst or defy the indigestion which will be the inevitable result if I do? Should I read it and weep, and blind my eyes to the calamitous atmosphere surrounding us? What is the answer?
Regrettably, after reading articles about the cyber warfare supposedly perpetrated by Russian spies and the nefarious shenanigans by the White House staff and cabinet, I am sick with apprehension. Should I refrain from being informed?
The poisonings scattered throughout the Bard’s plays, for example Hamlet and many others, are eerily reminiscent of the evil doings by the Russians suspected of poisoning their unwanted rivals. How about palace intrigue and the duplicitous acts by Hamlet’s and Macbeth’s servants of their court. Do they sound familiar? “Even a worm will turn when being trod on.” There are plenty of White House worms turning—and more to come.
Against my better judgment, I have been watching TV pundits disgorging the latest political events and disasters like cannon balls. This assault on my nerves is disturbing my feelings of peace and security. I am unable to turn off my TV or radio until the news cycle begins to repeat itself and I am sure that nothing new has become a headline. Only then can I get into bed and calm myself down by reading an innocuous novel until my eyelids surrender.
Fear has caused me to hoard lanterns in case of a cyber attack on our electricity grids. Is this fear or caution? Am I secure enough or should I take another Tums and read more of the same? Do I owe it to my sense of justice to bear the barrage of dangerous statements our President tweets out daily or should I get me to a retreat where all is calm?
“Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft have won, by fearing to attempt.” Words well quoted from Measure for Measure, sentiments which should be heeded by our weak senators and representatives who fear losing their seat, fear that should not be tolerated. Take a lesson from our youth, they are the future of our democracy. Should Congress turn a blind eye while our government implodes? My stomach turns.
“A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse,” said Richard III, attempting to save his kingdom. President Trump will need a Triple Crown winner to extricate himself from his pile of deceit. The game is up. Mr. Mueller is on the President’s track and pulling ahead.
Sustaining my confidence in justice is the sentiment that “the common cause of mankind’s folly and ignorance will not take over the common good.” William Shakespeare’s wisdom is still relevant in our time of discontent. Let us hope that All’s Well That Ends Well.
