To Change The World

William Shakespeare penned the words; "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..."

Many men and women have had the privilege to dance across the stage Shakespeare spoke of. In fleeting moments of mortality, they used their voices to make them immortal. They set the bar, so that the ones that would come after, would strive for excellence. So that they too, could also be amongst the great men and women in history.

J.M Barrie wrote the well-known play “Peter Pan.” Which at first glance, many would say it is just a children’s story. However it has an underlying, deeper meaning which is this: Never give up your innocence. The world will throw many punches at you, some knocking you down, seeking to change you. Keep the purity that resides in you, guard it like a precious gift. Adventure, always seek to expand your boarders, in every direction possible. Never be thrust into one role that “defines” you.  One of the most memorable quotes to me from Peter Pan is : “To die would be an awfully great adventure.” Live your life to the fullest. Fit in as many adventures as you can. When the ticking time clock comes for you and me,  know that it is not the end, it is the beginning of another adventure.

Jane Austen has graced the literary stage more than once. Well known for romantic novels like Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. The fact is, at  heart every human has a yearning to love and be loved. A love unconditional, transcending time, that bears your entire soul. Being vulnerable and not caring. It is so easy to get caught up in one of her novels. She stirs up your hearts desires, you too begin hope and dream of a love like that, and wait for that person who will come and sweep you off your feet.

“Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed [Elizabeth] to be pretty; he had looked at her without admiration at the ball; and when they next met, he looked at her only to criticize. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she hardly had a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness. Of this she was perfectly unaware; to her he was only the man who made himself agreeable nowhere, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with.”

                                                                                                                    -Jane Austen-

Sometimes  major issues, many would rather avoid, are thrust into center stage. Harper Lee wrote ‘To Kill A Mockingbird.’ She presents before the reader, what racism was like in the deep south during the Great Depression. People come in all different sizes, colors, and creeds. That is the beauty of this world, everyone shining out as an individual. There is no tolerance for those who would choose to alienate an individual because of their racial background, religion, or be they tall, short, fat or skinny or any other reason, really. We also need to keep in mind that at one time we have run into a ‘Boo’ Radley, or know somebody who fits the bill. Gossip is a terrible thing. It is the recreational sport of tearing someone else down. Don’t feed into gossip, because more often than not, the information you heard was wrong, and you don’t know as much as you think you do. A person should be judged on their merit, the content of their character and not the package they come in.

Mark Twain. Well known for his wit, humor, and satire. He authored such novels as Huckleberry Finn and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. His work shows the ironies of life. Laughter is the music of the soul.  There are so many things in this world that are upsetting (this does not apply to everything) sometimes though you have to stand back and ask yourself, “ Is it worth it to be mad or laugh instead?”

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”

          -Mark Twain-

“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.”
                                                                                           -Mark Twain-

“A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.”
                                                                                            -Mark Twain-

                Ok, so the point that I am getting at. Long after each of these authors have left the world, they continue to teach. What is listed above are things that these authors have taught me.  So this is what I say to you: Sing out, let your voice be heard. Do what you love to do most in this world. Life is too short to look back on and have regrets. We only have this one life, so live it. Who knows, one day you might find yourself listed amongst the great men and women in history.