Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In Wis?awa Szymborska's poem "We're Extremely Fortunate," the reader is presented with a philosophical meditation on human limitations when it comes to understanding the nature of existence. This introspective piece underscores the barriers of time, space, and physicality that restrict our perspective, almost making a case for our ignorance as a form of grace.

The opening lines, "We're extremely fortunate / not to know precisely / the kind of world we live in," suggest that not knowing the full scope of our universe is, paradoxically, a blessing. Szymborska posits that gaining such omniscient knowledge would necessitate a lifetime "unquestionably longer than the world itself." The hypothetical requirement to "get to know other worlds / if only for comparison" further drives home the idea that our capacity for understanding is inherently limited by our mortal, finite nature. This unknowingness isn't just a human condition but a condition of our world and perhaps the universe at large.

The poem talks about the need to "rise above the flesh," suggesting that our physical forms are obstructions to true understanding. "The flesh... only really knows / how to obstruct and make trouble," Szymborska writes, indicating that our embodied experiences are both limited and limiting. This view mirrors certain philosophies and religious perspectives that consider the physical realm as a lower form of existence, obscuring the so-called "higher truths."

As the poem progresses, it contemplates the abandonment of "incidents and details," those mundane, everyday activities that fill our lives, from "the counting of weekdays" to "dropping letters in the mailbox." Such trivialities would "inevitably seem to be / a senseless activity" if one were to perceive existence from a vantage point outside time and space. Szymborska even alludes to societal norms and rules, such as the sign "No Walking on the Grass," labeling it "a symptom of lunacy" when viewed through an omniscient lens. In doing so, she scrutinizes the human-made constructs that are often accepted without question, pointing out their arbitrariness and potential absurdity.

However, the crux of the poem is not a critique of human limitations but a recognition of them as perhaps essential to our very human experience. Knowing "the big picture" would inevitably diminish the significance of our daily lives, rendering our actions and thoughts trivial or even nonsensical. In highlighting the unknowable vastness that exists beyond our grasp, Szymborska acknowledges our smallness while also reminding us of the value inherent in our limited scope of understanding.

In this existential musing, Szymborska doesn't lead us to a bleak or nihilistic conclusion but instead helps us appreciate our finite existence within an infinite framework. She subtly celebrates our ignorance, elevating it to a form of "fortune," suggesting that the value of life might precisely lie in our not knowing, in our constant search for meaning amid the inexhaustible complexities of existence.

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