Vladimir and Estragon are two men -- often referred to as "tramps" -- in a French play by an Irish dramatist which was subsequently translated by the author into English.

The plot of the play is easily summarized: In the first act, Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for someone important to appear. That important person never turns up, though two other characters, Pozzo and Lucky, do. The second act is almost exactly like the first, though there are a few inexplicable differences: for example, Estragon's boots give him a lot of trouble in the first act, whereas he has obtained some new ones that fit by the second act; the tree beside which they wait has sprouted a few leaves in the second act; Lucky appears to be Pozzo's slave in the first act, while these roles are somewhat reversed in the second ....

Initially this play opened to mixed reviews from critics, and to audiences which ranged from the enthusiastic to the hostile. It is now regarded as one of the greatest dramas -- maybe the greatest -- of the last century.

It is, perhaps, the story of our lives before we begin to work Steps 10, 11 and 12. Until we "enter the world of the Spirit," we too seem always to be waiting for something to happen, something that will somehow save us from the struggle of our own existences. The practice of the last three Steps reveals slowly to us that there is nothing that can save us, precisely because there is nothing to be saved from and no "us" to be saved in the first place.

To those who have never made it this far, this seems to be a philosophy of desperation rather than liberation. That is why -- in a sense -- these things can never be talked of, only experienced. Those of us who have started on this path know from experience that it leads to a life of peace, contentment, and -- not infrequently -- happiness and joy.