T.S. ELIOT

A return to what is "illusion" in life and the illusion of history.  From "Murder in the Cathedral", an exploration of the things society appears to value and feels of "worth".  Thomas Becket's speech follows his resistance to four Tempters who all promise him some great prize, all of which are of a temporal and worldly nature, such as power, wealth, a return to a younger, happier self.  Becket resists and all becomes clear to him.  He says,

"Now is my way clear, now is the meaning plain:

Temptation shall not come in this kind again."

He goes on to explore the ephemeral, illusory and empty nature of the things we seem to value in life.  I've placed an extract below.

Are most of the  things we strive for no more than worthless, superficial fripperies, in the grand scheme of things: "the statesman's decoration", "the scholar's degree"? What  is really of worth?  What should we value?  

"Become less real" is interesting, becomes less real with age and experience?  With wisdom?  If nothing is worth striving for what is the point of getting out of bed in the morning?  Or are we saying, that we value the wrong things in life and there are greater things to strive for than superficial prizes?  What would these greater things ("prizes") be?  Abstracts such as friendship, trust, loyalty, empathy, love, patience, wisdom, common-sense?  What do you think?

Man's Life is a cheat and a disappointment;
All things are unreal,
Unreal or disappointing:
The Catherine wheel, the pantomime cat,
The prizes given at the children's party,
The prize awarded for the English essay,
The scholar's degree, the statesman's decoration,
All things become less real. 



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