‘Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing’

“Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires,” William Shakespeare~ Macbeth

As usual, we turn to Shakespeare when we need to explain a universal truth better than we can do it ourselves. A quote from Macbeth has been circling around in my head every day for weeks now, ever since I learned of the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services’ decision to cancel research on mRNA vaccines.  I was watching an evening news program when I heard the announcement of the cancellation, and watched as the doctor being interviewed lamented the decision, explaining that there was no science to back it up, and in fact that the Secretary, while sounding knowledgeable, had actually said nothing.

It reminded me of a long time ago when I went on a trip for the bank I was working for. After I’d made a presentation about a fairly complex investment we’d been studying, the professor warned me not to get too enamored with the sound of my own voice in lieu of actually saying something of real importance. It was an embarrassing moment, but one that certainly hit home. I knew how to ‘sound good’ without really saying anything. I didn’t make that mistake again. But it would appear the doctor on the news program felt the U.S. SHHS had fallen into that same trap and no one had called him on his fault.

Recognizing the blunder, Shakespeare’s quote came to mind, expanding out in my memory to include its introduction, “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Ah, yes, the Bard does it again, hitting the nail dead center as he described our current moment in history as if he’d written it for one of his plays. I think maybe a return to Shakespeare now would help us see where we are and what’s coming more clearly. We like to say we’ve never seen anything like these times before, but apparently, someone has, and he called it what it was: “a tale told by an idiot.” The key would seem to be recognizing it for what it is.