The Greatest
Tragedy of All
To define a tragedy, you must look inside yourself and find the worst thing
that has happened to you. From that point on, that
thing that occurred in your life is what you think of when you hear the word
tragedy. For me, tragedy is having and losing. To have someone you have trusted and given your deepest love to and then by some twisted fate, you lose them. Knowing that you have been with that person, and have lost them is truly the greatest tragedy of all.
Death is a tragedy that we all must face, so in fact it is a part of life and not really a true tragedy. Being separated from someone, without dying is the tragedy. To know that they are still alive in the same world is sometimes so painful that even in sleep the pain never leaves. Over time, the pain of your tragedy lessens and sometimes it is even forgotten. But then, in a conversation the word tragedy is uttered and the only thing you can think of is your own tragedy.
Understanding your own definition of the word is done through the heart, not with the brain. Your brain tells you that seeing a water-noodle is supposed to make you think of a pool, but your heart brings a different scene to mind. It conjures up the vision of a futon with a couple resting their heads on the water-noodle. Your brain says that you are experiencing pain that you do not deserve, but the heart says that you are getting your punishment for everything you did wrong, so you take the pain. The world tells you to follow the thoughts of your head, because they can never understand the heart.
The struggle between the head and heart can end in one of two ways. The brain can triumph and the heart will then recede into the deepest part of your being to slowly fade away. Or the heart can win over the head, and that is where the real tragedy forms. The heart never forgets, never really heals. Slowly that one tragedy that influenced your life, defines your life instead. And a life defined by tragedy, can only end the same way. The definition of having and losing will soon apply to your entire being. You had life and it was the most amazing thing in the world, and then you lost it. Life is defined by the tragedies we endure and is ended by those we cannot survive.