Still. We'll Proceed.

Underneath the Lintel by Glen Berger is an amazing play. A librarian who was happy with his rather boring existence now comes before you eccentric, needing, "to prove one life, and justify another" with an, "impressive presentation of lovely evidences." And who's life must he prove? A myth's. And what's worse a myth whom if he actually existed would be forced to be simply a myth because he is not allowed to acknowledge his own existence. A myth who checked out a travel guide and returned it 113 years over due. "That would be the first of many puzzlers in this twisty mystery of a tale." "Still. We'll Proceed."

I will try not to give any more of this exceptional plot away but simply expound upon its wonders and the sneaky bits of wisdom and the deep philosophy that Berger has twisted into detailed portrait of "the librarian." To understand the genious of this play one must understand being underneath the lintel. The lintel is the weightbearing piece above the door, it is a place where we regularly stand and often make significant decision that shape the roads we travel. It is the place where a Jewish cobbler once told Jesus to shove off and was forever cursed for it (see my sneaky reference to the mystery myth man). As Glen Berger says it, " Though we rarely recognize the place, underneath the lintel is where we stand every day, every moment of our life. Underneath the lintel there is nothing but a precipice, and before us--the yawning, staggering, bewildering cosmos." The irreversible choices made that shape the tale told are all examples of what happens underneath the lintel. In many ways these choice are the true theme of the play and where Glen Berger is able to sneak in his own brand of wisdom amidst the wit. These choices that make or break our lives, that only become so exceedingly important in hindsight. "Still. We'll Proceed."

These choices give meaning to the two lives presented. One forcefully robbed of its meaning and the other willingly given away. "We find meaning in relationship. Our relationship to ourselves, our family, our community, nation, to art, to history, to earth with its 100 million other species, the universe, and All That is Beyond. It's the disconnected one who finds life meaningless." "Still. We'll Proceed."

One line in the play begs a completely seperate question from, " to prove one life, and justify another." While I cannot directly quote it tthe line is the librarian paraphrasing a discovery on the part of his myth. It went about like this, there is a God, cool, He has it personally out for me, crap. Therefore, if the librarian can prove his myth's existance he can prove the existance of God. In that sense should our lifes be the pursuit of his life in order to justify our existance as Christians "Still. We'll Proceed."

"We're here because we're here because we're here because we're here..."