Time Lost | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Time Lost

An exploration in existentialism

22
Time Lost
New York Times

Samuel Beckett, best known for his play Waiting for Godot, explores the essence of time lost in his later work, Krapp's Last Tape. Last weekend, I went to my little school's even littler black box to see this play and I didn't really know what to expect. The plot is as follows: an old man hobbles on stage, proceeds to spend an absurdly long amount of time eating a banana, listens to a tape recording of himself as a younger man recounting his 39th year, and creating his own recording of his 69th. It was at times humorous and uncomfortable, but also profoundly sad.

As the man on the tape expresses no regret for his past as better days are sure to come, the man onstage surely sees no such days coming. It is an exercise in mundanity and a testament to the existentialism that assures us any purpose we feel is surely a mere illusion, and that futility and chaos rule the day. Time lost is all that comes to mind when I think about this, the echoing voice on the tape player that tries but can never recapture the profound reality of his life.

They say the peak of mental achievement comes in your early twenties. This is a scary statistic, not because I think I'll achieve nothing in my life if it doesn't come before I buy my first house, but because it implies that this, one day, will be my time lost. The years to come will be the voices heard on my proverbial tape players. I am confident that, at the very least, my life will be interesting but I am no less confident that someday I will have to let that life go. It is an inevitability that I am not sure I can come to terms with, though I am trying. William Faulkner once called time "the mausoleum of all hopes and desires." I don't think he means death. It is cryogenics- a simultaneous preservation and destruction but enough to last.

Fear of time is perhaps the most innate fear humans possess, built into us from infancy and evolution. Of course, we are afraid of it; it is something that can exist outside of use. In fact, it must exist as such. Our lives will all be soon nothing more than tapes left long unplaited and time will go on unaffected. It is not selfish to hope your existence would leave a more indelible mark, but maybe Beckett was right. Life is funny and more uncomfortable for me maybe than for most. It is also achingly sad, infuriatingly ambiguous, and defined too often by what we've lost. It's a little black box where art, even if just for a moment, and even if weird and unexpected, exists.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
an image of taylor swift standing center stage surrounded by her backup dancers in elegant peacock esque outfits with a backdrop of clouds and a box rising above the stage the image captures the vibrant aesthetics and energy of her performance during the lover era of her eras tour
StableDiffusion

A three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Nine Eras. Eleven outfit changes. Three surprise songs. Zero breaks. One unforgettable evening. In the past century, no other performer has put on an electric performance quite like Taylor Swift, surpassing her fans ‘wildest dreams’. It is the reason supporters keep coming back to her shows each year. Days later, I’m still in awe of the spectacle ‘Miss Americana’ puts on every few days in a new city. And, like one of Taylor’s exes, has me smiling as I reminisce about the memories of the night we spent together.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

83437
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

10145
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments