Theatre of the absurd is a literary school appeared in the world in eerie circumstances. It was founded after the horrific Second World War. It was an outcome of the arduous of the post-war period. At that time, life had no meaning, barrenness was the main theme of life, values were buried under the rubble and people had no hope of a better life. This is the case of life now. Life has become an absurd play where everything is waiting for “Godot” to come and provide answers and solutions for people’s concerns. Samuel Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot” can be recognized as a fine example of absurdity. In Beckett’s play, Estragon and Vladimir, the main characters of the play, keep waiting and waiting for Godot; and nothing ever comes. Most of us do the same thing; we keep waiting and waiting for the change to happen. Our life is like a train station where we stand waiting for a train that might not come and unwilling to take the risk of choosing another path to reach our destination.
Many issues have been long standing because of human’s laziness and carelessness to resolve it. We blame Israel for the procrastination, while the Palestinian and the Arab leaders are busy in discussing trivial issues. The Arab people can liberate themselves from the political slavery system. They can do the same as the Tunisian people did. Go out in the streets ask for the change, but without setting fire on their bodies.
Focusing on one main issue will present a solution. For example, In order to prevent the focusing process, Al Jazeera channel played a very wicked game to distract the attention of the Arabs away of the Tunisian upheaval. It published leaked papers against the Palestinian Authority. It is a plot to deepen the Palestinian rift. To those who have minds, do not let this silly game block the way towards Palestinian Unity. It is another absurd way to whitewash our brains. In addition, Youth have been complaining about unemployment. It is a serious issue for sure. However, there is always a way out; it is not the end of the world. We can determine our future, overcome all the hardships by activating our minds, and use the activation codes in our hearts. Struggle to smile through difficulties, be always hungry for truth and most important have a strong faith in God’s justice. When we reach a deadlock, we should look for other alternatives. Never give up; this is the key word towards success. Faith, knowledge, hope and love are blessings from our Almighty God towards the life’s bounties.
Ovid says: “To wish is not enough: you must desire passionately in order to gain your end.” The change can only be happening when we have the strong determination to achieve our wishes. People bring misery upon themselves. Complaining and relying on something called luck will do no good for us. Sometimes, we may need to take difficult decisions; this will help in paving the way toward a better future and life. We need a great courage to continue. It is not impossible to be the change. There is nothing impossible in this life. It was not impossible to invent planes, nuclear power, phones, internet or satellites. Obviously, the impossibility can be defeated by a strong will. Certainly, Godot will not come so stop waiting and take the first step toward the change.
Fida Shurrab lives in Gaza.
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