Throughout life it seems humanity has worn this idea of waiting... waiting for the next thing, be it good or bad. This idea came to me when I was looking at a medieval play called Mankind and its underlying context that we are all waiting to be judged by god. Mercy’s speech in the play captures this attitude, “Do truly your labour, and be never idle!” The meaning of the word idle is slightly different now compared to the 15th century. Idle meant being weak and giving into temptation and folly. Alertness comes from defending yourself from these sins and waiting for God to be your judgement.
That Catholic belief seems odd today but in fact it can be put to practice in today’s society. Even though large parts of society have stepped away from religion as a dominant discourse we still have this idea of waiting... This could be applied to all of us who sit in a room, sit staring out to space wondering what the fuck is the meaning of all this. If you are one of those then, snap, join the club and I have found myself saying, “I just want something big and great happen to me”. That’s it, that’s what we are all waiting for; we are still playing this waiting game with life. This age old belief has great importance over us even if we have never considered it for a second... everything is passed down and we are all results of influences and discourses imposed onto us. This belief of waiting is shaped differently now but you can see it everywhere. Take Big Brother for example, these contestants who enter the house are there simply to wait it out, waiting for the next big thing in their life to happen when they walk out of those doors.
This raises the question whether it is just enough to sit back and wait for our life to kick start? Or should we make the most of it now while we are here and use every opportunity to our advantage? It’s easier said than done and this idea that something will just happen if we wait it out is nonsense. We need to pave our own way in life and enjoy the present, we know too well that it doesn’t last long.
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