Clive Bibby: All the World's a Stage

One thing is common amongst great writers ever since humans first put pen to paper.

The relevance of their observations are timeless and are as valid today as they were when first offered to the people of the age.

The great philosophers, poets, scientists and novelists all had their moment in history where their comments resonated with the oppressed and mighty without fear of contradiction.

Added together they form the basis for understanding the sanctity of life yet human nature, being what it is, appears incapable of learning from the past and will no doubt continue making the same mistakes that too often lead to conflict with catastrophic consequences.

In that context, one of my favourite quotes is arguably Shakespeare’s best.

It is so profound even in its simplicity. Perhaps that is why it appeals to simple folk like myself.
Here is the opening stanza which, on its own, is sufficient for this discussion although taken in its entirety better explains the background to the Bard’s thinking at the time.

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances and one man in his time plays many parts.”

This is a reminder that in our own lives, we all have a part to play and it is up to us to decide how we interact with one another.

I say that because in the modern world, and probably since humans first populated the planet, there is a tendency to think that the powerful are the only voices that matter or that those on the lowest rung of society are automatically disbarred from making a contribution to the way we are governed and how we live.

History disproves that analogy but we here in democratically elected countries of the Free World must still be vigilant in recognising the threats to our way of life that are real. And it will not be enough to just talk platitudes about how we share the resources at our disposal because it is our God given right to do so or that we can remain being uninvolved without suffering the consequences of being non aligned when the proverbial hits the fan.

Truth is that there are many nations led by dictators out there who want all of what we have and are of a mind to simply take it when the moment presents itself.

Sooner or later as the the world contracts, making alliances of the willing becomes much more necessary and we are going to have to make choices.

Unfortunately, we must also make those choices before someone else decides to make them for us.

Believe me, the skirmishes in the Middle East and in Eastern Europe are only a precursor to what is likely to happen in our neck of the woods if we continue this dumb strategy of isolationism.

When you think about it, a quote from an unnamed source “No man is an Island” pretty much sums up our position and it is foolhardy to think that we can survive believing we can continue to go it alone.

And remember it is not just this generation that needs to think strategically about where our best interests are served.

Nobody wants to contemplate a situation where future generations are born into servitude. The old scare tactic of “reds under the bed” may have been an imaginary slogan used during the Cold War, but things have changed to the extent that the threats to our sovereignty are real and no longer illusionary.

The wolf really is at the door.

I kid you not.

Clive Bibby is a commentator, consultant, farmer and community leader, who lives in Tolaga Bay.