Samuel Beckett’s Seven-Word Challenge to the Positive Outlook
One fine and beautiful morning, a friend remarked to the 20th-century literary giant Samuel Beckett about the beautiful day. Didn’t such days make one happy to be alive? Can you imagine Beckett’s reply?
I wouldn’t go as far as that.
Wow, talk about a mood shifter.
What are we to make of such blunt remarks from this literary giant? Did this go along with Beckett’s overarching literary and philosophical approach? After all, he was a writer in the postmodern 20th-century European scene struggling to make sense of a world still in recovery from numerous figurative meteorites. Was this just his general disposition? Over his life, Beckett did have a multi-faceted career, a complicated personal life, and quite a private existence. Or was such a remark yet another challenge from an unmatched voice and visionary who had a knack for mining profound meaning from the simple and absurd? Despite all of these possibilities, there does not seem to be a simple reason for such a crass response.
I don’t think Beckett was criticizing or calling into question the immeasurable value of positive thinking or living a grateful and upbeat life.
Let’s not take Beckett’s response too seriously. He was, after all, someone who enjoyed life and who also explored themes of resilience and human perseverance in his writing. And let’s not forget the lasting impacts of positive thinking and gratitude. Experts point out how positive thinking reduces stress, boosts immunity, and improves overall health and performance. Positivity can even help increase one’s life span and reduce risks for cardiovascular diseases.
And positive people are contagious in a very good way — you often just cannot get enough of their radiant energy! Particularly negative people often just seem to want you to get on the wagon trail with them. Who doesn’t prefer Mr. Rogers singing “It’s A Beautiful Day” over the SNL Debbie Downer character zooming in and ruining the mood? But despite the value of positive thinking and an optimistic attitude, what are we still to make of Beckett’s response?
While we are at it, let’s be quick to give regard to those who are stuck in dark places mentally and spiritually.
Are you in a dark place mentally where you do not feel like doing much of anything at all? If you are, let’s just assert that this can be all too natural. We may all feel mentally and spiritually low at times. Thoughts and prayers for you through those tough times. And if you feel like you need a helping hand through the dark periods, do not be afraid to reach out. Resources and people are there to help you through the worst.
Now, imagine a person has just come through such a dark low period and just like the song is in an “I can see clearly now the rain has gone” viewpoint. They are walking down the street and feeling the beauty of the day with the warmth of the Sun on their face. If they aren’t saying “What a beautiful day to be alive,” then they are surely thinking it. If someone were to so candidly rain on their sunny day with such a response as Beckett’s, it would be downright cruel and even destructive.
But again, that is not what the meaning of Beckett’s response was. He wasn’t responding to someone who just awoke from a horrible nightmare. Nor was he responding to a group or community just starting again after some unthinkable period of communal hardship.
Why, then, would Beckett mutter such a crass response? What is this all about?
Perhaps Beckett was championing something different.
Could it be something along the lines of Beckett’s character Krapp from the one-act-play Krapp’s Last Tape?
Here I end this reel. Box — (pause) — three, spool — (pause) — five. (Pause. Perhaps my best years are gone. When there was a chance of happiness. But I wouldn’t want them back. Not with the fire in me now. No, I wouldn’t want them back.
Anyone who has lived for a little while knows that not all is happy and fine. Celebrating the unlimited blessings unfolding each second of life is essential for sure. However, we also cannot forget about the other side of the coin — hardship, suffering, loss, and the unimaginably horrible events unfolding.
Part of Beckett’s unparalleled genius was to capture human beings in some of the darkest or lowest of settings. This was not to push others into deeper despair but to cast a light on the positive and profound qualities that endured through the worst.
There are many ways to interpret Beckett’s blunt response to a friend's profession of unconditional optimism. Perhaps it wasn’t to criticize or oppose such a positive perspective. Rather, perhaps Beckett was offering a challenge.
Celebrating the wonders of being alive when things are bright and sunny is easy. But what about when storm clouds blanket the sky and thick fog looms over things? Such darkness allows for the light to shine from within. The inner human light may start as a faint glow but then can grow to brighten the whole room and house of one’s life.
And although Beckett may not have been one to consistently express this, his work certainly did illuminate it — that is also a cause to celebrate being alive.
