What is this “struggle”?

It's not easy to describe the setting of this play. The play, "Waiting for Godot" seems to be in a dream type world where everything seems a little bit bleak. There's a tree, but not much of a tree. Didi and Gogo conversation on scenery; Gogo says “… all my lousy life I crawled about in the mud and you talk about scenery? Look at the muk heap." Basically saying there's not much scenery an important note, Didi mentions that they went to a place called the McAllen country that was entirely red. The fact that everything is red and Didi says that it’s down there; he could be mentioning a place that resembles the catholic hell. Gogo doesn't remember but that's typical of most the characters except for Didi. Didi is “the would” be Bill Murray in the movie “Groundhog Day”. In the play, each day plays out nearly the same as the day before. This makes me think that these characters might be in between heaven and hell, maybe like purgatory. This could be Beckett’s way of showing us how we already are living in between heaven and hell and maybe this resemblance of purgatory is just everyday life. This “Muk” as Didi and Gogo calls it, is something that Didi says he gets more comfortable with the longer he's in it. This “Muk” is representative of the setting and it is representative of how Beckett views people as they shrug through life. This Muk is the bad part of life created by fears. The setting is bleak; same as Beckett’s view of most people and how they shrug through life never making a true transcendence. It seems just like in the movie “Groundhog Day” there is something to be done or like some ghost movie, they need to complete some unfinished work.

I want to talk about the tree for a moment. It's interesting the tree is one of only two objects there. The tree has great significance; they have desired to end their life on the tree. The tree always seems to be dead, but in act two it sprouts leaves. That's not uncommon for a tree to sprout leaves, but Didi took special interest. I wonder if this is Beckett’s way of showing us that some type of miracle of creation had just happened, but why or how? I believe that our Loving emotions can create beauty and life. The night before, after they were done waiting for Godot, after the child left (but not before telling Didi to wait there and Godot would be there tomorrow) they sat next to each other and from their souls you could see that they love each other. It was funny for a moment; they felt autonomous not male or female (just souls) and they were in love. Then, they looked up, saw each other, noticed that they were both male, and quickly turned away; scared to have the thought that they were two males that may have love for each other. This could be meant in a homosexual way; though it doesn't have to. The results as I saw it was, a positive affect on scenery; the leaves grew on the tree, Didi was singing in the morning, and seem to be in a cheery mood; all because they enjoyed their time together as two souls. It's a little bit like in the movie “Pleasantville” everything is black-and-white, perfect, and simple (just like in Catholicism). As Toby McGuire and Reese Witherspoon from our world came into the picture they began to break expectations and common social laws (Things that would be shameful by Catholicism standards). They would follow their heart/ soul and let that part of them shine; soon others followed. Then magically everything and everyone started to change into color from black-and-white. At first, this new change was looked down on, however it ended up being a very positive change for a place that was already considered “perfect”.

Pozzo's existence in this play is very particular; at first glance, I see him or his presence as a viewpoint on slavery; after all he was a slave master. What I noticed was shocking and is hard to explain. Pozzo was representative of a Catholic God. Let's say for a moment that the Catholic God would/ could be a person and let's say that that person asks for worshipers to do their bidding, that person constantly needs to be infallible and that person needs constant contact with his subject to assert his dominate position. This described persona sounds egocentric, controlling, and elitist. (This description is from how followers act towards Godot.) This all seems to describe Pozzo quite well. So, now knowing that these are conversations with Godot; let's look at them again. Pozzo likes to have conversation with, "the society of my likes ", as he says. I imagine that Godot would also like to socialize given that he's always accepting prayers and praise; also, supposedly people were created in god’s image. Pozzo mentions that there likeness is “an imperfect one”, maybe inferring that he's the perfect one. Didi mentions that having a slave is a scandal, however it's interesting when you think of it as, Pozzo is representative of God and Lucky is just a faithful servant of God. Is it still a scandal? Beckett seems to be making these comparisons of slavery to worship. I especially like this one point in the play where Pozzo’s infallibility is put in to question by Pozzo himself; when Pazzo decides to stay and smoke pipe after he has already said he was leaving. First Pazzo explains that he's a small smoker and why he likes it; just to convince Didi and Gogo that it should be appropriate (almost asking for permission to go back on what he had already said). Then there is this conundrum of how to not go back on his word; after all he is infallible. Since, he already got up to leave; he has his slave adjust the seat, as if there was something the seat had done to cause him to get up and now that lucky has fix the chair so, he may sit again. This way, Pozzo can still appear perfect or at least in his mind (Haha). When he explains why lucky does his bidding he has this notion that lucky does all this because Lucky doesn't want to be discarded. Lucky wants to impress Pozzo so Pozzo will keep him. Hmm, does this sound a little like the relationship between God and man?

I have to touch on lucky’s speech and the relevance to the other characters. Lucky’s speech starts on the subject of Catholic God and seems to describe this relationship between man and God. Saying this relationship is “for reasons unknown”. He’s also mentioning the time and energy wasted in these attempts to praise God; and why “for reasons unknown”. I can't seem to follow the reasoning towards the end of the speech but it seems to be further explanation of the relationship between man and God. As the speech nears the end, all characters are eager to make lucky stop talking; it seems to be hurting them. I want to dive into this question. Why is Lucky's speech hurting them? I think to answer this question we need to take a look at false realities. This may also unlock the answer to why there is this relationship between God and man and how it could be such a strong relationship “for reasons unknown”. A false reality is something we will take as “true” and base our decisions off of. In our mind these things called “truths” that are true enough, to base decisions off of; we tend to hold these “truths” much higher in regards to respect, than ourselves. You see, we know for a fact, that we are not perfect, that in our past we have done regrettable things (touch touched something sharp and cut ourselves), we have in person seen our own fallacies and now know from experience that we are imperfect. However, the “truths” we know, cannot be imperfect; like in religion, if you don't see how the truth is real, then you're not looking hard enough. Or with parents, when you were a kid they were never wrong; if anything, there was just something you didn't understand. This makes parents infallible and this concept of something being infallible is desirable. I think it has something to do with consistency, repetitions, and same results more or less. Also, a collective view is desirable, because it can reaffirm our own ideals; like you're testing them on others to see if you are the only one thinking this way. To make sure you're not just wrong again, because after all we’re not perfect. This way of identifying “truths” makes them very concrete in our minds. Because we are now, "so sure" of these "truths", we shouldn't have to keep testing them to make sure that they are true. We can feel that we are too imperfect to question or test these "truths" that we now know. So, these "truths" are locked away (Bedrock) in the part of our mind; that does unconsciously influence every decision we make. These “truths” are very desirable as with each truth: comes an ease of decision-making and can help show where "one stands" between right and wrong and will help judge other people; whether they are good or bad. These truths help us categorize the world into something in our mind can filter, or decipher, or transcript into easily accessible information with a brief description from the point of view of our "truths". Collecting data is attractive as the more we know, the easier it is to combat our surroundings. Like MacGyver or a spy you can face anything that comes your way and handle it with poise. To argue these "truths" is too willingly give up all knowledge learned up to this point and to give up all decisions-making abilities and to start over from your new truths to gain knowledge. No one person is ready to give up on their life's work of knowledge. How dumb would you have to be; to be alive as long as you have and get it wrong? But wait you checked with the collective and we all can't be wrong. And now you're just unsure and weak; you don't agree with the collective and confusion sets-in. We need our false realities in order to feel secure, in order to be comfortable, and in order to be ready to face whatever comes our way. This seems to explain why we see them go through pain during Lucky's speech. Lucky is questioning their “truths” or religion and now the mental anguish from cognitive dissidents is manifesting itself as physical pain. I see this shown in another part of the play. Just after the first time they want to hang themselves. Didi says “let's wait and see what he says”, about hanging themselves. It's such a big and deep subject, to hang one’s self. There must be a great deal of mental anguish associated with the desire to hang one’s self. So rather than dealing with the bedrock of our mind, it would be easier to accept that there is some type of regulator or “God” there to answer or decide these questions that hurt so much to even just think about. In this example Gogo seems more willing to question this idea of God; maybe because this view doesn't resonate with him as easily. He wonders where or what their role is with God. Without giving an answer, Didi he gets defensive says "on our hands and knees ", as to say they are not worthy of his presents; let alone to be inquisitive about something as irrelevant and insignificant as ourselves. Blowing over the whole question; like in the explanation from Pozzo, of why lucky doesn't drop the bag. Pazzo seems to evade the question. Gogo asks “we've no more rights anymore?", Didi’s response is similar to why Pozzo thinks lucky stays. They gave their rights away to impress Godot. Gogo says “we're not tied” and Didi quickly changes the subject; frighten by some unheard noise. When Gogo asks again, about being tied, Didi asked Gogo about the carrot he gave him; similarly, to evade the question. When the question finally gets out, Didi shrugs the question, he laughs, and says “no question about it”. Then Didi becomes a bit unsure and slightly depressed and says “for the moment”. You see, all that back and forth to get to that question out is our mind not allowing us to access this area of the mind; we totally subconsciously will divert from the question. When the question was finally pronounced, Didi's first reaction was to rely on the “truths” that he knows. Then he thinks about it, there’s a moment of cognitive dissidents, his confusion sets in, and he becomes a bit depressed. Moments after, he seems to dismiss these defying thoughts. Gogo then speaks on his carrot saying "It's funny the more you eat the worse it gets." Didi takes this another way, describing what seems like his way of living with Godot is like living in Muk he doesn't mind it in the long run.

I feel as though this essay has put me through a journey to find a new definition/description of transcendence. Currently transcendence usually means to leave the body and live on another plain, such as heaven or hell. I now see that to transcend, one has to meet their soul’s desires on the plane of reality. We must reach that part of our brain the bedrock that holds our “truths” (the same truths that regulate us). We must tinker with this part of our mind until it no longer can regulate the desires from our soul. Our souls are autonomous they aren't male, or female, or rock, or plant; the soul desires the attraction to other souls. Just as mass makes gravity that pulls in more mass; similarly our souls reach out to pull in and be with more soul. To transcend is to find an utilizable equilibrium between our “truths” (false realities [the knowledge that keeps us alive]) and what our soul truly desires. There’s the struggle, uncomplicated, and simple; our desire to struggle in some form is related to wanting to be with soul and create fertile ground for more soul.

Waiting for death (The Manuscript)

Waiting for death (The Manuscript)

After reading and watching “Waiting for Godot” I feel as though this play is about: Humanist against slavery, a spoof on Catholicism, and friendship maybe all we have that that really matters.

This play takes place in what seems or appears to be an afterlife or possible meant to represent purgatory. The evidence of this is shown in a few examples. They wake each day as if it was Bill Maury’s “Groundhog Day” each day the same as the last and Vladimir is Bill Maury. This reminds me of a ghost stuck here and hasn’t passed over into the next life, yet. Gogo wakes each day and he remembers being beaten in the gutter the night before. I think that’s how he died. The story goes each day almost just as the last. The two friend’s Didi and Gogo meet in the morning and Didi convinces Gogo to wait for Godot with him. They seem to be bored waiting, but I think they enjoy time spent together. Then comes the slave and his master. The master Pozzo shows in some way the weakness in his need for control, while the slave Lucky and the interaction with Didi and Gogo brings humanlike feelings to what Pozzo has used as a lifeless robot. Possible meant to voice anti-slavery sediment. The Slave and the Master leave and they wait more for Godot arguing whether he’s coming or not. Then when Gogo fall asleep the young boy come in lew of  Godot to let Didi know that he won’t make it today but surely tomorrow he meet him.

This play could be a spoof on Catholicism; the play does mention “Christ” saying “it’s the only one they know” and also in story’s placement that seems to resembles purgatory. They wait for Godot to make judgment for them and his word is infallible. Every evening (Sunday) the harmless boy (Preacher) says to come back tomorrow he’ll (God) surely be here. Of the two Didi and Gogo, Gogo is the more religious. They get into these great back and forth conversations about whether they should be waiting. Reminds me of the back and forth that may go through any religious person’s head when doubting their own beliefs. It’s that trying to ask the big question “why do I believe this?” This question tends in my experience to be shunned upon in a religious community. That could easily explain how this play could upset so many people. The “Why do I believe this” question can make you rethink everything that you know to be right and good; everything you base your life around; everything that you’ve ever been told; and now you question it? To question that, can feel as though, you think you may have wasted your life until now; even though your own answer to this, may likely bring peace and harmony to your heart and soul.

In the end the two Didi and Gogo remain friends and share these moments together that filled this void between life and death. It seemed that the two were not rich however, together they experienced many highs and lows; when they were alone life seemed more boring. The contrast in this was clearly shown in the play. Even Pozzo wanted human relations; as he could no longer receive it from his slave. The slave was too dehumanized for him to comfort Pozzo in the void between life and death. Life is all about the yin and the yang; the good and the bad; the back and forth; the Up’s and the Down’s; it’s when these forces push against each other, that life is created. It was clear to me in this play, that the Up’s and Down’s in life occur only when you’re with someone, just acting human.

3-5 topics with a quote

1. Slavery as a form of energy. "slavery has been another tool of modern civilization, and there are some historians who assert that without slavery the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Chinese, Romans, Ottomans, Europeans, and Americans would not have had anything close to the levels of affluence they enjoyed." (32)
2. Population Bubble; big enough to pop? "... nobody expects this rate to continue... the fact that our current growth rate cannot continue is not in dispute." (16)
3. Getting hungry, China? " When China becomes hungry over the next few years, her need for food will rock world food prices... now a goods exporting powerhouse, can raise the money to pay for her food. Food may well become the commodity well before oil dries up." (88)
4. What do you mean we're out of water? "... the human need for fresh water will outstrip the entire planet's replenishable water supply by 2025 - even before we run out of oil." (103)
5. The liver and kidneys of the planet are big trees. "... trees are even more critical to maintaining steady levels of atmospheric carbon than anybody had previously thought." (65)