I know you are doing everything you know how to do best, but it seems like nothing is working for you. Will you please take a break? Take a break and consider your path. You have been looking over there for so long and it’s not yielding anything. Why not start looking over here? Stop making the mistake of comparing your life to that of others because there is nothing to compare. You don’t have to do what others are doing. You don’t have to follow the path others are following. You only have to do what you want to do and follow the path you want to follow. Follow the path that leads to the fulfillment of your purpose. Why look over there? Look within and find your own path in life.
I refuse to run a meaningless race. My dream is time-bound, and I must get there on time. Share on X
Why Look Over There? What If It’s Over Here?
Everyone was running over there.
They left whatever they were doing and started running.
Everybody kept running.
They were all running like their life depends on it.
As they were running, they kept shouting;
Over there, over there.
I was shocked to see everyone running.
I have questions on my mind.
But no one stopped to hear my questions.
Nobody was ready to answer me.
I asked my friend who was walking with me.
Do you have an idea of what is happening over there?
I got no response so I turned to look at my friend.
My friend has joined the crowd.
Over there, over there, over there.
The crowd is on the move, nothing can stop them.
Everyone is screaming, ‘over there‘.
What is over there? Nobody seems to know.
Should I wait to confirm what is over there?
Or should I join the crowd to see what is over there?
But what can be over there?
Why is everybody running over there?
‘There’ was the command word,
The powerful word that moved the crowd.
Just what could be happening over there?
Why are the people running in their masses?
I’m afraid; I am the only one left.
Should I also follow the crowd?
In my confusion, I started thinking out loud.
Can one person go over there and tell us what was over there?
Do we all have to go over there before we can know what’s there?
I am tempted to join the crowd.
Should I look over there or look over here?
What exactly are we looking for over there?
What if it wasn’t over there?
Just what if ‘over there’ never existed?
Won’t the effort of going over there be fruitless?
I saw new faces joining the crowd,
Even though they don’t know why they were running,
They kept running over there.
It was a race of survival.
What was over there, nobody cares to know.
Where is the crowd heading to?
Nobody cares to know the destination.
They just have to keep moving because the crowd is moving.
Where is the ‘over there’? Nobody knows.
Because the crowd is moving,
The people kept moving.
What is over there? Nobody knows.
Because the crowd is moving,
The people kept moving.
Why was the crowd running? Nobody knows.
Because the crowd is moving,
The people kept moving.
Nobody wants to evaluate the situation.
They just kept running over there.
Over there, over there, over there.
They have been running for so long.
The people are getting tired.
It’s now they decided to question their action.
Now they started asking questions.
Are we there already?
When are will going to get there?
Is there anything there?
Unfortunately, nobody has the answers to the questions.
Nobody knows where the end of ‘there’ is.
They are all exhausted; they don’t have water to drink.
They are all lost because of their foolishness.
Their legs are shaking, they no longer could stand.
They want to go back, but they have lost their path.
Oh, what a wasted generation.
Why run without a goal?
Why move without a destination?
Confusion is written all over their faces.
Now they are left with no option.
Will they perish in their own foolishness?
They have started to start reasoning.
Why didn’t they reason among themselves earlier?
What can they accomplish now?
How far can they go? Their strength is gone from them.
If only they have conserved their energy.
If only they ran for a good course.
If only they think before acting.
Everything would have been different.
You don’t have to run because the crowd is running.
Why should you follow the crowd?
If you must follow the crowd, confirm if you share a goal.
Confirm if their goal tallies with your goal.
Have a reason for following the same path.
And don’t be afraid to follow a different path.
Follow your path that leads to your fulfillment in life.
Don’t be afraid to stand alone.
Don’t be afraid to create your own path.
Why should you look over there, when you can look over here?
Make sure you have a dream you are following.
Make sure you have a purpose to fulfill.
Make sure you have a destination to get to.
Make sure you have a goal to achieve.
I will run, not because the crowd is running.
But because I have a dream to follow.
I have a destination I must get to.
I won’t hesitate to stand alone if I have to.
I refuse to follow the crowd.
Let the world criticize me,
I will find my strength in the criticism.
Their criticism will be my push, it will be my pull.
But it will never be my end; I can’t afford to lose focus.
I will never stop running towards my goal.
I will not run a meaningless race with the crowd.
I have a dream and my dream is time-bound.
I must get there on time.
So I can’t afford to waste my time.
What is over there?
Whatever is over there could also be over here.
Take your time to find your own path in life.
The difference between ‘there’ and ‘here’ is the letter‘t’.
This letter represents TIME.
Don’t gamble with your life.
Time is valuable, don’t waste it over there.
When you can effectively use it over here.
Why look over there? What if it’s over here?
Define your destination in life.
If your destination is over there, please go for it.
And if it is over here, stay right here and enjoy it.
Let your time count and live your life to the fullest.
Refuse to follow the crowd blindly.
Copyright by Ayobami Abiodun
Wow! So inspiring.
Thank you, Jose.
I so much enjoyed this poem. It has a deeper meaning.
I’m glad.
This poem is talking to me. I usually find comfort in the fact that many people are doing something because I feel like if something should go wrong, it won’t only affect me. I guess it’s because I am afraid of standing alone. The poem made me reflect on my life and I realized that following the crowd has caused me more harm than good. I have lost so many resources by following the crowd. I wish I had the gut to have followed my intuition for once. That must change now! I will not follow the crowd blindly anymore. I will find my path and follow it. Thanks for writing such an amazing poem.
I’m glad I could be of help. There is nothing as fulfilling as knowing that you lived your life on your terms and condition.
I love it.
Thank you.
Time is everything. Time wasted can never be regained. If you waste time following the crowd and things that are not inline with your goals, you won’t be able to regain the time wasted. Have a goal and follow the path to achieve that goal. Lovely poem, I’m inspired.
Thank you.