Shakespeare, perhaps the greatest psychologist and sociologist that ever lived, described best the most magnificent play of all.  In his play, As You Like It, Act 11, Scene 7, his character, "Jaques De Boys" says:
   "All the world's a stage,
   And all the men and women merely players.
   They have their exits and entrances,
   And one man in his time plays many parts..."

   Shakespeare knew!  But it took most of the rest of us almost four long bloody centuries before we would even begin to understand his very astute observation of this play called LIFE.

   What does he mean by all the world's a stage?  That all the men and women are merely players?
What are these "exits" and "entrances"?  What does he mean by that? And how is a man plays many parts "in his time"? Confusing?  Not really.

   First, we must address the idea that this earth plane, this Earth, may indeed be a huge "stage" on which is played a psychodrama of super-epic proportions that might have even boggled Cecil B. Demille's mind.  Think for a moment; when we speak to one or several or many, are we not "on stage"?  Are we not usually inclined to attempt to impress those we communicate with?  Is that not "acting"?  Have you ever observed a young bachelor and a lady he may be strongly attracted to- or vice versa?  Is he "on stage" or not? Do we not "set the stage" (to coin a long-used popular phrase) in order to be the most effective in our purpose?  The actors act but the scenery continually shifts in back of them like a Chinese opera.

   Are we merely players in this greatest play of all?  If not players, then we must be the Director - and we cannot be all that.  Indeed, I wonder if ANY of us has the experience talent, or capacity to be the Director.  many of us think we do, and we try but fail miserably.  We can control - for a time; we haven't yet the capacity to direct such an incredible undertaking.  And so we are all actors, each acting his or all the emotions, the consequences that go with it.  We may need to know total dependency, so we may choose to be a cripple, or deformed, or retarded.  We may need to know what violence and harm to others feels like, so we may incarnate and become a "victim" ourselves.  We may choose to take the role of a leader, a president, a king, a dictator, or one "in power," or we may choose to be a plumber, a farmer, or one without power.  Each "role" is equally important to the whole play.  The "stars" of any play would look terrible without a good supporting cast, would they not?  Can you imagine the condition of the White House or Congress if there were no plumbers?  Or garbage collectors?  Each player is equally important to the whole.  As such we are dependant on each other; the better we treat our fellow cast members, the more profitable it is for everybody - we ALL benefit!  You chose your role before you come, however, you have free choice as to how well you play it, how hard you work to perfect your role.  THAT is the measure of your success and the only thing that will give you brownie points in heaven.

    We have our entrances - and our exits.  When we come to this  earth plane, this planet Earth, we don the costume (race, religion, color, gender, health, physical appearance, etc.; in other words, a body) that the roll we accepted calls for - and we go on stage (incarnate).  We interact with other players, for better, for worse, until death do us part.  And what is death?  "Death" is merely our exit.  When our role, our part in current act and scene, is finished, we leave the stage, remove our costumes (body), AND GO HOME!  Home sweet home - there to rest, review and critique our performance; perhaps check out a new script, a new role.  This is important to remember, because many "players" avoid doing a good job with their part - and this is understandable.  I have suggested that this play called LIFE is a blockbusting psychodrama.  Why?  Because each player has brought with him one o more psychological blocks, inhibitions, and dysfunction's to work through by acting them out in some way, often experiencing the deepest aspects of himself at the soul level.  He may avoid (who wants to really play a bad guy?), or he may play it well - the choice is entirely his.  He may ad-lib or follow the script faithfully, or in some cases, rewrite.  The choice is his!  We always have many choices - there are many ways of playing a role.

     And so it is that each man, in his time (eternity), plays many parts (reincarnation), each interconnected with the other so it may appear sometimes to be one continuous performance.  The show goes on.

    We come, we go, and hopefully we will have worked through some of the psychological problems we have carried with us, perhaps through many, many lifetimes.  Some of us are slow learners and require the proverbial  two-by-four between the eyes to get our attention (painful but very effective).  As a ghost psychologist (my practice is limited to the dead) for 20 years, I have come to the firm conviction that the psychological problems of the "dead" are no different from those of the "living," except that ghosts are easier to work with since they have no "ego" to hide behind.  I am just finishing a book complete with case histories on this subject, which I feel strongly supports my premise.

    And what about the roles we play?  Every play must have it's "good" guys and "bad" guys, it heroes and villains.  In the old days the good guys wore white hats and the bad guys wore black hats - nobody wears hats today, so it has become confusing, to say the least.  Now, who would choose to play a "bad guy" role?  Someone has to - and that can be a positive learning experience, too.  The play must go on!  How can one really understand "bad" or "evil" or error or whatever one wants to call it, unless it is experienced in one or more forms?  Was Hitler evil, or did he come as a harsh, unforgiving teacher to teach us never to give authority for ourselves to someone else (a lesson we have constantly declined to learn)?

    So what might we learn from all this jazz?  I can think of several things.  If this play is an on-going thing, then we DO have time to stop and smell the roses, do we not?  If there are always exits and entrances, then why worry about "death" - there'll always be a part for us in this play.  If everyone's part is equally important, why try all our lives here to BECOME important - WE ALREADY ARE!

    What advice would I offer? Not that I have been asked, but being a writer, I'm going to give it anyway.  I would strongly suggest that the most important thing any player can do is to LOVE (not narcissistically) himself with all his heart, and all his mind, and with all of his soul; for only THEN can he possibly love God, and his neighbor.  I would also say to him that the ONLY place he will find God, will see God, is when he looks in the mirror!  True God.  The creator is the Great Director, and the guides are the "prompters," but neither God nor the guides can play anyone's part for them - that is not their responsibility; it is the player's responsibility, and his alone!  Make God proud of you by always giving the best performance you are capable of.  There ARE rave reviews in the afterlife!
 

Dr. Roger S.Pile, Ph.D. is the Director of The Center for Gnostic Education and offers Bereavement Counseling, Grief Therapy, group therapy for Separation Recovery, Counseling, Healing, Readings, Investigation (and resolution where possible) of hauntings and possessions.  He is well known in the field for his work with ghosts and other non-physical energy forms, having been at it for over 25 years.  He is also a featured speaker at Cosmic’s “A Spirited Seminar” on July 31st, 1999.  The Center for Gnostic Education, P.O. Box 928, Killingworth, CT  06419 or e-mail rspile@netscape.net or rspile@connix.com.

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