This article is going to be different than all the articles I have written or attempted to write. This article is going contain ideas submitted by my loyal subscribers. The main topic is going to be about Shakespeare’s famous “To be, or not to be” soliloquy (from Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1) . This idea was submitted by subscriber Luke J.-B. Desclefs. I will also have a Fun Fact today, which will be on the lovable Scooby-Doo and his real name. This was submitted by subscriber Rachel N. Mechling. The Word of the Day and Quote of the Day will be featured submissions also from loyal subscribers. Well, enough chit-chat; let us get started.

Quote of the Day

Today’s Quote of the Day is a good one. This one talks about things we all need to hear. This quote was found on a social platform for artists, DeviantArt. The quote goes like this, “Cherish every moment because every breath you take, someone is taking their last." This quote tells us to live our lives and to be thankful for the lives we have. We never know when our time will come. It also suggests that we should complain less because, even if we have lost all else, we still have our lives. So, for this reason alone, we should be thankful. There is another quote that ties into this first quote and idea: ”Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional” This is an old Buddhist saying that was made popular by Haruki Murakami. It basically says we all have pain, that is a fact of life, but what we do with said pain is our choice. We did not choose pain, but we can choose not to suffer. (In this quote, suffering is a psychological state.) We can choose whether or not to suffer by choosing to listen to the pain and pity ourselves, or we can choose to stop complaining and to continue living our lives.

The moral of this quote is to live as if every moment were your last. Do not complain.

This idea was submitted by subscriber Andrew P. Burns

Today’s Main Topic

Today, for the main part of this article, I will talk about the soliloquy around the phrase “To be, or not to be: that is the question” from Shakespeare’s famous Hamlet. This line is the first line in Act 3 Scene 1. In this line of the soliloquy, Hamlet is addressing the mortality of man and in that, his own existence. The line “to be” refers to being alive. Thus, “not to be” refers to death, or not being alive. According to Hamlet, life is a lack of power, but death gives power. Also, death in life in guaranteed, but life after death is not (heaven – life; hell – lack of life). This is why Hamlet is asking himself if it is better for him to be alive or to commit suicide. The soliloquy continues:

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;

Here Hamlet asks if it is more noble to suffer here on Earth the outrages we encounter (The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune), or to rid ourselves of the miserable world by dying to find peace (Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep). This is why Hamlet finds death empowering; it rids you of the miseries of life. Hamlet thinks life on earth is passive; it just is, and that is it. However, death is an action, a choice.

It continues:

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;

To sleep: perchance to dream:

Again, this is just talking about how death is probably better than life. Then comes the catch; Hamlet calls the catch a “rub”. The rub refers the something that might sway our thinking. The rub in this instance is what it will be like after death. He goes on to say:

ay, there’s the rub;

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

By this he is saying, as I said before, we do not know what is to come after death. As an aside, the word “coil” means hustle or bustle, like in a party or wedding. He continues to say, in another way, what will become of us when we throw off the shackles of the “mortal coil” (the fast-paced life we live). Here he stops to consider the worth of suicide; he weighs the pros and cons of both life and death. He focuses more on the negative aspects of both.

Must give us pause: there’s the respect

That makes calamity of so long life;

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,

The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,

The insolence of office and the spurns

That patient merit of the unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

From this, he names certain things that he qualifies as cons in life (the whips and scorns of time,

The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely— insulting language). The word quietus is a legal term meaning final end, and the word bodkin means knitting a needle. With this information, we see why suicide would be so easy. It is the final end (quietus) that stops our suffering (slings and arrows of outrageous fortune), and it is as easy as knitting a needle (bodkin). But he does not stop there. If he did, he would consider committing suicide the only logical end. He also looks over the cons to death.

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscover’d country from whose bourn

No traveller returns, puzzles the will

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

Here he says that death is like traveling to an undiscovered country that, once found, you cannot leave. This land could be full of terrible horror, perhaps far worse than that of the horrors here on Earth. Taking into mind both points of view, Hamlet reaches this conclusion

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pith and moment

With this regard their currents turn awry,

And lose the name of action.–Soft you now!

The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons

Be all my sins remember’d

Just in the first line, we see that our consciences should tell us that the right choice is life. The act of taking one’s life is a sin. This added understanding, along with the noted cons of death, intensifies the terrors of suicide. In the end, he decides that suicide is not the answer for these stated reasons and others. One unstated reason is the fact that he was on a mission to avenge his father, which suicide would obviously render him unable to do. Also, he was not thinking this way in order to contemplate death (the merits of suicide); on the contrary, the soliloquy actually began as a contemplation on the meaning of his own life. In the end, he shook himself of this thinking and realized that life is worth living, regardless how terrible it might seem.

The moral of this soliloquy is the importance life is. We might have a “terrible” life, but, as Hamlet points out, life is always worth living and is a gift, so do not discard yours just because it is may seem hard.

Something this soliloquy should prompt us to think about is that there are people out there who are suicidal, and if we know someone we fear may struggle with suicidal ideation, we should help them realize the meaning of life and how it is worth living. Suicide is never the answer.

This idea was submitted by subscriber Luke J.-B. Desclefs

Fun Fact

As I said in my opening paragraph, this fun fact is about Scooby-Doo’s real name. A good many people think the name of this cartoon canine actually Scooby-Doo, when in fact, it is just a nickname used by the show’s other characters, as is the nickname Scoob. Scoobert Doobert is another name he is sometimes called by (not cartoon-character) people who mistakenly think that is his real name. No one knows the origin of this false (as opposed to a real or nick) name. The false name Scoobert Doobert most likely originated in the Urban Dictionary. In October 2013, the Urban Dictionary first gave Scooby this false name, asserting this was his real name. A couple months later, there were a couple people that wrote social media posts about Scooby using the false name Scoobert Doobert, thinking that was his real name.

In a 1988 Scooby-Doo spinoff, “A Pup Named Scooby-Doo”, Scooby’s real first name, Scoobert, is revealed. This show talks about the gang (Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, Freddy, and Velma) as kids. His last name (Doo) is confirmed in the episode “It’s a Wonderful Scoob” (a 1985 episode in the short-lived series “The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo”. In this episode, the wizard Vincent Van Ghoul (Vincent Price) uses he sorcery to show Scoob what his life would be like if he did not come out of retirement. Van Ghoul shows Scooby the purpose of his life by taking him to the past, including the day he was born, and potential future. At the hospital where he was born, we see Mumsy-Doo’s hospital bed. In the background of the shot we see a sign the reads Mrs. Doo. Thus, proving that Scooby’s last name is Doo and not Doobert.

In conclusion, Scoob’s real name is Scoobert Doo and not Scooby Doo, Scoob, or Scoobert Doobert.

This idea was submitted by subscriber Rachel N. Mechling

Word of the Day

For all those who do not know, I find my own word for the Word of the Day. Except for today, in which I used a subscriber submission.

The Word of the Day is eschatology. According to the online Merriam – Webster Dictionary, eschatology means:

1: a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of humankind

2: a belief concerning death, the end of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humankind

specifically : any of various Christian doctrines concerning the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead, or the Last Judgment

In other words, eschatology is the theological study of the end of the world. This topic is ties into Hamlet’s soliloquy, today’s Quote of the Day, and things I have written about in the past. It is important to understand that we must be ready for our final end. We must “be ready to meet our Maker”. I am sorry if I seem like a one topic man (or two topic). I often talk about readiness for death and rationality. These topics are still worth mentioning. Eschatology is more, however, then the contemplation of death. It is the theological study of the end of the world. There are many religions that have their own interpretation on this topic. I do not know much on most religions, but Christianity says that in the end, the righteous will go to heaven and the unrighteous will go to hell.

An important question to contemplate: What is to come to us after the end of all things?

“I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam” – J.R.R. Tolkien. Just thought I would throw that in.

Take away: Remember life is short, so live your life like you will die today.

This idea was submitted by subscriber Mark O. Mechling

In Conclusion

1) Suicide is not worth it

2) Scooby-Doo’s real name is Scoobert Doo

3) Live every moment like it is your last

P.S. When you listen to my podcast, always read the description.

Until Next Time,

Mr. Trivial

Bibliography:

Eschatology: Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Eschatology. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved May 30, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eschatology

Hamlet's 'To Be Or Not To Be' Soliloquy With Analysis 💀. (2020). Retrieved 30 May 2020, from https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/soliloquies/hamlet-to-be-or-not-to-be/

A quote from The Return of the King. (2020). Retrieved 30 May 2020, from https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/37413-i-am-glad-you-are-here-with-me-here-at

A quote from What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. (2020). Retrieved 30 May 2020, from https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/613585-pain-is-inevitable-suffering-is-optional-say-you-re-running-and

Scooby Doo's real name isn't really Scoobert Doobert. (2020). Retrieved 30 May 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/scooby-doo-real-name-scoobert-doobert-2017-7