To be or not to be

Hamlet: 

To be, or not to be- that is the question:
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-
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, 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: ay, there's the rub!
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.

When I was much younger, I loved Shakespeare-well still do;  and the above was one of my most favourite  few lines that suddenly cropped into my head this morning out of the ethers. At the time, this was a piece that I understood without contemplating over the Elizabethan English for days trying to figure out the actual meaning-though I hardly took it seriously and as a serious lesson on life. This actually made sense then, though the actually interpretation in my heart is rather different  now, as when I was eighteen- but in a way it is extremely appropriate today`s world-to stop and pause and think about it.

Often these days as I am older I question existence, question the purpose of life and this excerpt makes me realize that  man has since time immemorial  wrestled with the same questions- to which there isn`t really an answer. Though modern life offers much in the material sense, it dosn`t fulfill man`s desire to be completely contented, to be at peace, to be joyful. We keep searching for that impossible dream,  that bluebird of happiness which is simply an illusion.

Is it nobler to stick with it, or to check out?  Is the prize worth the effort? To fight with one`s might or simply go to sleep and never wake up? Is it better to end it all sooner or later- for we know that we shall never get out of this life alive for sure anyway. 

 If we ponder these questions an other tantalizing question arises from the depths of the soul- maybe, just maybe  some wondrous dreams may come as we enter into that light- or is it oblivion. No one has come back to tell the tale- thus we wait with abated breath, fear, curiosity, dread, excitement for the inevitable ; will it be a new beginning , a new adventure, a higher awareness of consciousness or just a cold, dark grave.