…no greater tragedy than failing to play the game called “Life”

Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of an Unspeakable Tragedy. I am not sure how many of us would actually remember it. I did not. Till I read what happened on December 8, 1980 in an article yesterday. The author mentioned about remembering the football game he was watching that day. And surprisingly it was neither because of the action on the field nor because of the announcers. He remembered it because of what was announced during the game:

An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City, the most famous, perhaps, of all of The Beatles, shot twice in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, dead on arrival.

I am sure the words would have shocked millions across the world. Reading them after 3 decades had a reeling effect on me. One of the most famous men in the world had been shot and killed. The announcement would definitely have stood out in the minds of many, especially his fans.

The author also made a mention of what the announcer said a little later, after the tragic news was shared:
"Remember this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses."

The sentence has been running in my mind since I read the article. Can we, as human beings, extract some learning, some inspiration out of this? I believe we can & I made an attempt too.

There are many things in life that can be impacted by attaching these words to them: “Remember this is just __.”

Have you ever noticed that so many things which seem important to us in the moment lose their importance when we confront issues of life and death?

Football games will be won and lost. Politicians will be elected, wars will be fought, businesses will rise and fall.
But do they really matter in the long run?

Even the things that concern us in each & every moment of our lives become distant memories within a short amount of time. It also includes what we hold dear or hang on to. And not to forget the fears, barriers, stops, & conversations that we have in life. They are ephemeral too.

Then what is of lasting importance? What is the point to remember?

Here is my take on the whole thing.

There will always be tragedies in this world - unspeakable tragedies. But there is no greater tragedy than failing to play the game called “Life”. So, the point to remember, perhaps, is-

“Life is just a game. We may win or we may lose doing many things & that is irrelevant. What matters is that we try & play the game full on.”