Poem: The Common Tragedy

The Common Tragedy – Expounded

Distractions abound – There are always things in our lives that call us away from matters most. For me that meant social media and video watching. Instead of reading a book or writing a blog, I sit in a comfy spot on consume online media. It’s easy, it’s relaxing, but it’s also a distraction.

Oh, the destruction they incur – When we spend time in comfortable distractions, we lose valuable time that could be spent growing in ways that matter. That doesn’t mean you ignore your family and grind at work. It means you take a good look at what really matters and try to spend time on it. In many cases, work itself might be the distraction that destroys.

It is a strange destruction – We’re used to destruction that’s explosive. When things break, we notice because of the motion that comes with it. Distractions are different. They don’t destroy you through one great act, but many. Sometimes thousands.

Quiet and unassuming – It isn’t loud and boastful. It’s quiet and stealthy. Day by day, one at a time, distractions derail you from your values. It might take years or even decades, and you may never even see it coming.

Lurking behind the peripheral – If you don’t deliberately look at your distractions and acknowledge them, they hide at the edge or your thoughts. They’re easy to ignore. Just don’t focus on them and you can live unchanged.

“The fall comes after the rise” – This is basic logic. How can something fall if it has not risen. Picture a building. Can it be toppled before it is built? Not in the logical way.

The lie of logic – Sometimes logic makes us blind. We use it to back up our decisions without further thought.

To fall before rise – Or in other words, to never of risen. This is what our daily distractions do to us. They hold us back and prevent us from rising.

Is the common tragedy – How common is it that people do not reach their true potential? Sadly, I believe it is the standard, and how sad that is. Men and women around the world never rising, never falling, why? Because they got distracted.