Our AP English class just started reading Waiting for Godot, and one of the introductory/thought-provoking questions we had to contemplate beforehand was "Does humankind by nature long to understand the un-understandable?" To be honest, I'm not a hundred percent sure as to what this specific question has to do with the play, but I do know that it struck me as truth, which (I would guess) is a central theme of Godot.
"I am not not going to hurt you." Take a moment to study that sentence. Notice the double "not's." Was that merely a typo, or was done purposefully to convert the statement into a threat? The "not's" cancel each other out, right? So what I'm actually saying is "I am going to hurt you." Well, maybe I'm just weird like this, but those types of sentences annoy the crap out of me. Why? Because my inner desire to understand takes control when I read them. Maybe that was a dumb example, but to me it showcases the humankind's natural tendency to try to make sense of everything that stumbles across our path of life.
Here's another perfect example: children. Ever wonder why kids ask so many "why" questions? ("Why is the sky blue?" "Why do dogs hate cats?" "Why do I have to go to school?") It's because they're curious. Ever get frustrated when you find yourself unable to answer their questions? (I know whenever this happens to me, I cop out and give them the ole "Just because that's the way it is, okay?!" reply, all the while silently fuming.) It all goes back to curiosity; to our need for understanding, even of what we know is impossible.
Our class also studied works of "surrealistic art" as a precursory to our Godot unit, which I found quite fascinating (and creepy at the same time.) Despite the obvious absurdities of the artwork we observed, there was always some facet of truth presented within them. For example, one of the pictures showed what appeared to be a man attempting to escape from the inside of a mini egg-like earth. While the art itself is clearly an example of absurdity, there is no doubt truth in the concept of the need humans have to escape from their physical boundaries, whatever these may be.
Our need to understand reveals an even greater need that all humans have, and that is the desire for truth. Without truth, there is no stability. Without stability, we would all mentally implode and society would erupt into chaos. It's an inherent part of human nature: what we don't know, we find out; what we can't find out, we do research on until we do; when/if our research reveals nothing, we a) hang our heads b) scream and pull our hair out by the roots or c) set off on an epic quest to satisfy our curiosities.
This is where the concept of religion and science come into play. They answer these core questions: where did the universe come from? Why are we here? Were we the result of an imploding speck of dust, or were we hand-crafted by a being so superior to us that we can't even wrap our minds around it? If you believe in god, what kind do you believe in? One invisible dominant figure, or little pieces of a supernatural entity that exists in all of us?
Personally, I don't believe in the concept of agnosticism. Everyone has to believe in something. If you claim not to, then what you're really doing is just blocking out the little voice in your head that's just dying for some foundation to cling to. Face it, you're a part of the paradox: you want to understand the un-understandable just as much as everyone else.
-Kati Davis
Excellent blog Kati. I really enjoyed reading this. :-)
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