On the Stage

“It’s great to be great, but it’s greater to be human.” – Will Rogers

The other day, I watched a documentary about a well-known entertainer with a medical condition that almost entirely prevents them from performing now. I thought it was a good human interest story. Although it was sad to see the physical and emotional impact the disease was having, the program also presented themes of hope and perseverance. There was one quote from it that lingered with me for a while. As they spoke of live performances and the possibility of making mistakes, missing the beat, singing off-key, and so on, the entertainer said, “There is no mistake on stage[live] because there is humanity.”

“Wow,” I thought, “There is a lot of truth in that.” 

In a time when we seem to have grown more and more impersonal in our day-to-day lives, I could not help but transpose that quote onto the greatest stage of all– the stage of life. You may know where I am headed with this. 

You guessed it: Shakespeare.

In William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, there is a rather evocative monologue that is usually referred to by its opening line, “All the world’s a stage.” He and many other writers built on Biblical and ancient philosophical thought regarding the different stages of life. The first few lines go thusly,

“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,”

So, what is the continuum here? 

If life is our stage, how often do we let a fear of failure or criticism keep us from playing our part? I do not know about you all, but it happens to me. Perhaps, one worries about missing the proverbial beat, so they never really jump in at all. We might miss out on many meaningful, worthwhile things in doing so. Here is where Celine Dion comes in to save the day with her quote (cue the Titanic theme song…). 

Reread it:

“There is no mistake on stage because there is humanity.” –Celine Dion

Humanity

1: compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition: the quality or state of being humane

2: the quality or state of being human

As you walk on the stage of life, be brave! Remember, there is humanity. There are people in the world who are generously disposed, waiting to show compassion and sympathy. On the other hand, as you see others on the stage, be kind, merciful, and gracious. Do not forget that we all share in the state of being human. We do err, of course, in both of these aspects, but I, for one, would like to improve as I continue to take the stage (of life). These are just some things I have been thinking about. I hope y’all will too.

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