Waiting for Godot — On Waiting as Self-Sabotage
Samuel Beckett – Waiting for Godot
Gems from the World (English) | Session – 23 January
The Play and the Modern Man
Beckett captures the essence of the modern human: sharp, ruthless, intelligent—yet stuck. In Waiting for Godot, nothing really happens, and that itself is the point. There is no destination, no sign, no clear purpose. Life is shown exactly as it is: endless waiting, endless talking, endless postponement.
Waiting as a Way of Life
The characters do everything except ask the most basic question: who or what is Godot? They repeatedly talk about leaving, plan it in detail, yet never leave. Tomorrow becomes their refuge—always promised, never arriving. Godot is imagined as the one who will fix everything, even though they don’t know who Godot is. Tomorrow comes, passes, and the cycle repeats.
Godot and the Ego
Godot is what keeps the ego alive. Even “tomorrow” is vague—it could mean the next minute or the next birth. Beckett performs a kind of ruthless neti-neti: stripping away hope, progress, and fulfillment. The man stands unfulfilled, yet still believes there is “something more to be tried.” That “something” is precisely the ego’s trick.
Existentialism vs Advait
Existential writers diagnose the ego brilliantly but do not offer liberation. They say the burden continues; suffering remains. Existentialism is a commentary on the ego’s condition, not a path out of it. In Advait, freedom comes when bondage is gone. In existentialism, the ego sees the absurdity clearly—and still clings to it.
Intellect, Authority, and Bondage
The characters are not intellectually foolish. They even sense that Godot may never arrive, but insight alone is not enough. One reflects authoritarian ego, the other a chained intellect. When intellect serves ego, it cannot liberate. Hence the constant command: “Think.” Yet thinking itself is enslaved.
Honesty Without Liberation
Existentialism says: you will suffer anyway, so suffer honestly. Carry your own nonsense instead of others’. There is no happy ending, no messiah, no final freedom. Things may change outwardly, but inwardly nothing shifts. Even the “liberated ego” remains ego.
Waiting, Silence, and Noise
They chatter endlessly, often uttering gibberish, because silence would expose the meaninglessness of their actions. This is the human condition: you don’t know who you are, you don’t know whom you are waiting for—yet you keep waiting. The ego does not actually want the wait to end; waiting itself keeps it alive. Ambition, motivation, desire—these are all forms of waiting.
Godot in Relationships and Ideas
The play also mirrors modern relationships. People perform for each other to keep the bond alive. In some form, Godot does arrive—as spouse, child, status, or even intellect. “I’ve understood the philosophy” becomes another Godot. But liberation is not knowing; it is a decision. Stupidity, too, is a choice.
The Core Question Beckett Asks
Can you be honest enough to admit that Godot will never arrive? What breaks then is not your heart, but your ego. When you truly see that Godot will not come, a different life begins. Godot is an escape from life. Seeing that there is no escape is the beginning of honesty.
Advait’s Shift of Focus
Existentialism stays with waiting and Godot. Advait turns the inquiry to “I.” Complete the sentence properly: I am suffering. I am waiting for Godot. The “I” comes before suffering and before Godot. When the subject is seen as separate from the object—like a driver realizing he is not the car—the bondage dissolves.
Suffering, Suicide, and Inquiry
Advait does not label actions as good or bad; it asks who the doer is. Most suicides arise from ego: “I didn’t get what I wanted.” Suffering becomes the bridge to Advait—otherwise you remain trapped in repetition. What happens without ego is free; what happens with ego binds.
Seeing and Intent
Seeing alone is not enough; intent is crucial. Clear seeing already assumes the desire to be free. Without mumuksha and vairagya, nothing changes. One can suffer an entire lifetime without ever questioning the source of suffering—that, too, is the human condition.
Ending Note
Existentialism courageously demolishes false meanings, but stops at despair. Advait demolishes the ego itself. Godot never arrives—and that is not tragedy. That is the doorway.
Samuel Beckett – Waiting for Godot
Two men stand by the side of a road.
Nearby, there is a tree.
Apart from that, there is nothing.
No destination, no sign.
They are waiting.
They do not exactly know for whom they are waiting.
They do not even know why they are waiting.
But they wait, and this waiting gives shape to their day.
They argue whether this is the right place.
They argue whether today is the day.
They cannot reach a conclusion.
They talk to pass the time.
They joke.
They quarrel.
They insult each other, then reconcile.
They forget what was just said.
They repeat the same questions again and again.
They fall silent.
The silence becomes uncomfortable.
So they speak again.
They talk about leaving.
“Shall we go?” one says.
They do not move.
They make elaborate plans for leaving.
They imagine what they would do if they left.
But they do not go.
They wait.
Someone passes by.
He speaks in a strange manner.
He gives orders to the other person.
They watch him, confused and intrigued.
When he leaves,
the road becomes empty again.
They return to waiting.
They talk about the past.
They are not sure if it really happened.
They cannot even agree on their own memories.
As they talk, memories slip away.
They talk about the future.
The future remains unclear.
The word “tomorrow” comes up again and again.
No decision is made.
They wait.
They say waiting is necessary.
They say Godot will explain everything.
They say Godot will tell them what to do next.
But they cannot say who Godot is.
They cannot say why they trust him.
They cannot say what will happen if he comes.
They wait.
They grow tired.
They think of sleeping.
But they fear they might miss Godot if he arrives.
They talk about hanging themselves.
They discuss it seriously.
But there are no means.
And the matter is left there.
They wait.
A boy comes.
He says Godot will not come today.
But he will surely come tomorrow.
They question him.
They ask if he is sure.
They ask if Godot remembers them.
The boy does not know.
He leaves.
Night begins.
The tree stands bare.
The road is empty.
The light grows dim.
They wait.
They say they will leave tomorrow.
They say tomorrow everything will change.
For a while, they even believe it.
“Shall we go?” one says.
They do not move.
Tomorrow will come.
Tomorrow will pass.
Tomorrow will be just like today.
They will meet again.
They will talk again.
They will wait again.
They will ask again, “Shall we go?”
And they will not go.