The World Is Your Oyster

OK, so that’s kind of disgusting

Mateja Klaric
Sep 3, 2018 · 3 min read
Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

And who is to blame for this absolutely disgusting phrase? The world most famous plagiarist, W. Shakespeare, of course. I didn’t know that, though, I had to look it up. It came to mind, this common phrase, as I was browsing through the content on Medium today.

I haven’t done that for quite a while now. It’s too depressing to go through so much crap, please excuse me for being honest, I’m a bit cranky, having a toothache and stuff.

To think how wonderful Medium used to be prior to the member-only era. I apologize for writing member-only stories too, just trying to make a buck here like we all. Some do 5 this and that, others share the depth of the wisdom at 25 (it always make me laugh, so sorry, again, for being honest here)…

What else am I to do but laugh when someone in their early twenties state on their profile that they are trying to ‘rebuild their life’ after the unthinkable happened — a boyfriend left them. I mean, I’m sorry, but I laugh out loud.

I guess ‘the world is your oyster’ came to mind after browsing through tens upon tens of posts today desperately trying to find something of depth and value… There was not even a hint of what I used to be able to find here when I first started on Medium.

Stories that blew my mind and inspired me to write better. Stories at which I was left speechless hoping and wishing I’d be able to write like that, gorgeously written stories that left me in awe of how was it possible that she wrote something so moving and lyrical about her French vacations…

Those times are gone. I was so hoping, so hoping it wouldn’t come to this. It came to this. ‘The world is your oyster,’ the oyster of those who have let this happen. Where did this phrase come from and what does it mean?

It came from Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and it means that the person who does that, who lives according to that, brutally opens the oyster with a knife (or a sword, according to Shakespeare), kills and eats it alive, and then steals its treasure, its pearl, for their own selfish gain.

That’s what it means, ‘the world is your oyster.’

I do not treat the world like that, I do not treat oysters like that. I respect them, I respect creatures that are capable of creating something as beautiful as a pearl. I do not call them ‘pearl generators,’ I do not crush, and kill, and destroy them, and try to steal what they have.

I just do not. So I’m trying to come to terms with how things are. Trying to come to terms with the fact that I have lost my favorite reading platform, that it has been crushed and destroyed, all of its pearls ruined and stolen and lost, never to be seen again. And that the time of orks has apparently come.

Maybe follow me when I move elsewhere in search for deeper and more meaningful stories:


Mateja started to write short stories at the age of ten and later became a freelance journalist, radio personality, and explorer of the inner worlds. Her life resembles a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs and some pretty wild turns. Among other things, her car was destroyed by tanks and she survived several brushes with death as well as a complete destruction of her former way of life and career. Mateja graduated in psychology from Arizona State University and is now a writer. Connect with Mateja on LinkedIn and Patreon or visit matejaklaric.com.

Mateja Klaric

Written by

Live to explore, for secrets abound - matejaklaric.com

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade