William Shakespeare said it best when he wrote the lines, "All the world is a stage, and we are all merely actors." This is correct in all forms because reality is similar to a theater, but it is extremely fascist in the casting department.
The world and everything that happens in it is like an ongoing play in which we have a choice, we can either become the main character, have a supporting role, become an audience member or refuse to take part with any of what is going on. Anton LaVey said it best, "A mammoth spectacle employing a 'cast of thousands' is not necessarily good, any more than the world being made better by overpopulation." So we must choose what we want to become, or let nature take its course and place us in our respective roles.
The main characters are those, like real actors, who have the ability to become someone. They adapt to their surrounding and make the best of it. They struggle and become the pick of the litter, if you will. In most cases they have class, wit, charisma, dress to impress, and are seen with the utmost jealousy by those in only supporting roles. The main character always does the hardest work.
The bit players, or second rate actors, are the followers. They are just as important to a story, but never greater or even equal to that of the main character. They help, follow and admire the main character, sometimes even mimics a main character... always hoping to become an understudy. Their jealousy of the staring role is never as big as the humbleness in only wishing to help out the main character. Some are content in their second-rateness, others would sell their own children to be in a staring role. Almost all fail to get the part.
Third is the audience members, of which most of humanity falls in category with. Those who sit idly by with nothing to do, but watch. They neither have staring or supporting capabilities and more often than not don't even want them. They are content with watching the world go by and letting everyone else get the fame and do the work. The only importance they could qualify for is acceptance... if they don't like your acting you're often out of Tinsel Town.
Lastly are those who want nothing more than to leave the theater, those who want a way out of this "stage" called life. Curt Cobain was one, hell he was a main character for a while, but he chose to leave. Margaux Hemingway was another. Go figure. But in actuality, those who wish to leave are rarely ever main characters, or even supporting ones. They are disenchanted audience members who don't like what is going on and grab their coats and scram.
Actually, the world is changing and when you really take a look at things it has become less of a stage and more of a circus. You have your ring master, your clowns, your audience and the ones who throw themselves in front of the elephants.

Originally for Issue 5, later appeared in Issue 6, unaltered.

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