Romeo, oh Romeo!

In the balcony scene of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet wistfully says, “Romeo, oh Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Juliet is not asking Romeo where he is; she knows Romeo has scaled the fence and he is in her courtyard, beneath her balcony. She also knows he is in a dangerous place.

Juliet is saying, Romeo, why do you have to be who you are? Why does the only fellow I fancy have to be a Montague? Couldn’t you please be someone else?

You see, generations ago the Capulets and the Montagues had a falling out. No one can remember what the fall out was about, all we know is that the families had become bitter enemies. Shakespeare is teaching us an important lesson about hatred because as we know both families paid a very high price for their unresolved hatred.

Secondary and Tertiary students the globe over still study Shakespeare and his stories have endured for over 450 years simply because Shakespeare deals with the passions of humanity and regardless of fashions or fads the core of humanity remains the same.

I’m reminded of another cannon of writings, full of wisdom, and written centuries before Shakespeare and what it has to say about making peace.

If you would love life and see good days … seek peace and persue it.

To seek for something is to look hard for it and to persue means to run after with the intent to capture. Can you imagine how the strife between families, brothers, neighbours and nations would diminish if we had this same attitude to peace.

Do you think it is important to seek peace and persue it? God does.

Peace be with you.