A few days ago, I was at a swimming pool enjoying a couple of days off when I saw two very young parents playing with their son, who was not yet two and was clearly thrilled to have recently learned to walk.
The father was playing chase with the little boy, running very close to the edge of the pool. The mother ran behind them, recording every move with the camera on her latest-generation phone.
The lifeguard warned the delighted parents a couple of times, only to be ignored. They were so excited that they remained absorbed in their fun.
I was just another onlooker, a former lifeguard with more than ten years of experience as a swimming instructor, and I could see the possible risks this lovely family was exposing themselves to.
What seemed like an innocent game came very close to becoming the tragedy of their lives.
In the blink of an eye, the little boy loses control, falls into the water, and instantly disappears from everyone’s sight. At that very moment, the father had turned to look at the mother, and for a few seconds his attention was off the child.
When he looks back and tries to focus on the little boy, he cannot find him. The father panics and jumps into the water, still fully clothed. Without stopping the recording, the mother stands frozen, filming what could have been avoided if they had taken precautions and had not ignored the warnings.
In our lives, every second is decisive. We, and no one else, are responsible for the decisions we make. If we are “distracted” and unable to see the whole picture, if we ignore the signs the universe sends us—this time, the lifeguard letting them know the risk they were taking—we must be prepared to deal with the consequences, however good or bad they may be.
Have fun, yes, but at the same time do not lose sight of the risks. There is a very fine line between fun and pain, and you alone, knowingly or not, are responsible for crossing it.
“In life there are no rewards or punishments, only consequences.”
Robert Green Ingersoll