Watching all these stunning things happening on the world stage these past weeks and months, I feel a reminder is in order. A reminder to myself and to all who read this that we really cannot know what is actually going on by following the theatre or any of its actors, institutions or players within, regardless of what role they represent or how good their story is.
Why is that?
Because if you think about it honestly, you don't really have any idea what is actually going on two blocks down your street. Or what is going on inside your neighbor's house. Heck, if you have a kid you have no idea what is going on in their very room, and they live under the same roof you do.
What can we actually know about the state of affairs out there if we can't even know that?
What is my point?
If you have no certainty, no means of dicerning (f)actuality in your immediate vicinity, with the people closest to you... how then do you suppose we can ever hope to have an accurate picture of goings on far away? Goings on filtered by medial interests, relayed by institutions and players with their own agendas, following orders and interests we may never hear about...?
Is it still interesting to watch the theatre at times? Totally! But confusing the graphic and pompous display of events on stage with actuality may really give us the wrong idea. It will just bind our attention and make us unwitting pawns by repeating things we hold to be true but have really no certainty about - factually.
The stage has been designed to be watched and a lot of effort has been directed towards making the play gripping and thrilling, even though we can see a multitude of obvious and intentional errors in the play and the stage set designed to bind the attention of those half-awake.
If we ever dare to assume that we know the actual circumstances of what is going on anywhere outside our most immediate vicinity, remember: You can't even be sure what your daughter is doing on Saturday night ;)
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