Weites Land
Schnitzler wrote this piece in 1911. I have never read it so far and before I saw the piece in the theater I didn't know what the title "Das weite Land (The Vast Domain)" should mean. At first sight it might be misinterpreted as a "boulevard piece about adultery" (and I could imagine that even the author thought about it as exactly that).
In fact it refers to a part in the book where Schnitzler talks about the huge variety of controversial thoughts and feelings that a person can have at the same time. "Die Seele ist ein weites Land" "The soul is a vast domain" describes how a person at the same time can love and hate, laugh and cry, be totally happy while willing to die. We are too complex to be put into any system that works with two dimensions. I guess we are too complex to be put into any "system" at all.
To fully understand the feelings, reactions and actions of human beings in the end is a challenge which I believe we fail to overcome. I think it is a challenge that we fail to overcome not only while trying to understand others but mainly by trying to understand ourselves. Trying to establish value systems to guide our decisions or at least to understand after having taken them to finally cluster them into right or wrong in this light sounds a bit weird and hopeless.
But anyway - No negative judgment here - In the end not being able to resolve every miracle that is taking place in ourselves might be the last secret life has to offer us.
In fact it refers to a part in the book where Schnitzler talks about the huge variety of controversial thoughts and feelings that a person can have at the same time. "Die Seele ist ein weites Land" "The soul is a vast domain" describes how a person at the same time can love and hate, laugh and cry, be totally happy while willing to die. We are too complex to be put into any system that works with two dimensions. I guess we are too complex to be put into any "system" at all.
To fully understand the feelings, reactions and actions of human beings in the end is a challenge which I believe we fail to overcome. I think it is a challenge that we fail to overcome not only while trying to understand others but mainly by trying to understand ourselves. Trying to establish value systems to guide our decisions or at least to understand after having taken them to finally cluster them into right or wrong in this light sounds a bit weird and hopeless.
But anyway - No negative judgment here - In the end not being able to resolve every miracle that is taking place in ourselves might be the last secret life has to offer us.
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