Mojo, Will, & Me

Beseech you sir, be merry; you have cause,

So have we all, of joy;

-Gonzalo

The Tempest      Act II, scene i       Line 1

Ahhh, The Tempest again. And a very upbeat and optimistic line.

This is the first line of Act II where the king’s group, who were being tossed about at sea in the first act, find themselves safe and sound on Prospero’s island. Gonzalo, ever the optimist, is talking about how lucky they are to have survived. His little speech, which goes on for a bit, is partly an attempt to cheer up King Alonso who is a bit out of sorts because his son, Ferdinand, is missing and he’s worried that he’s drowned. Of course if we’ve gotten through Act I, we know that’s not the case as Ferdinand has found himself onto the island separately and has already met Prospero and Miranda. One thing I have to say about this play is that it doesn’t seem to have that Three’s Company scenarios of people pretending to be someone they’re not, and other people acting on misinformation/misconceptions. This play is much more straightforward. And no severed heads.

So this is a very uplifting line. And it’s really a thought that we should all be living with constantly.

Yes, you’re having trouble with that job search. But the house is paid off and your wife has a good job so you have cause, so have we all, of joy.

Yes, you’ve got a pile of homework to do. But you’re getting an education that can prepare you to live a good life, so you have cause, so have we all, of joy.

Yes, the dog peed on my book and ruined it, but it’s only a book, and I can get a new one if I want, so you have cause, so have we all, of joy.

Yes, it’s true, you’re thinking that this blog post is tedious and boring, but it’s almost over, so you have cause, so have we all, of joy

Bottom line: Be thankful! If for no other reason, you’ll find that being thankful makes it a lot harder to be feeling angry, resentful, or otherwise bad. Trust me, it’s true!

Self explanatory