The silent fall of fences and walls

By Walt F.J. Goodridge

Special to the Saipan Tribune
Originally published: Wednesday, March 3, 2010


The only way to take control of your life, raise your standard of living and move beyond merely surviving is to create your own unique product or service that you offer to increasing numbers of people in exchange for the things of value that you desire. This simple formula applies to countries as well as people. A self-sufficient economy has its own products or services of value to export to the world. Similarly, a self-sufficient individual has something of value to exchange in the global marketplace. That thing of value is based on your natural talent, skill, or interest—in other words, your passion!

The silent fall of fences and walls

They said my escape could be easy as pie
Truth be told I just didn't believe
I'd gotten so used to the fences and walls
that I'd limited what I could achieve

They hinted that freedom might already be mine
I replied, "Oh, but surely you jest."
That new worlds might appear in the blink of an eye?
No, such promises seemed empty at best

But one day something happened! A shift DID occur!
When and where? Hmmmm, I just can't recall
But now left, right and center things fall into place
and it seems I do nothing at all!

I feel all at once I've been living a lie
How much further I'd be if I'd known
that these fences and walls I had built as a child
all this time I had long since outgrown

But when did they crumble? No trumpet was blown
no fanfare, no crash to discern
In the quiet of thought did my jail disappear
from this fact here's the truth that I've learned:

The breakthrough will always be silent, my friend
it's an elusive sound you won't hear
For no noise marks the fall of your fences and walls
because the truth is they're really not there.


COMMENTARY:
It could happen at any minute. Who knows what may set it off. Who knows who or what may be the catalyst. The walls may fall while you sleep and you might wake up tomorrow morning with the rubble at your feet. Unpredictable, yes. But you might be able to speed the process along by creating more quiet moments in your life to listen for the silent fall.