The True Enemy of Progress

When I look up the true enemy of progress,
I see one person say that it is fear,
another states that it is perfection,
another says complacency,
another comparison,
another habit,
another routine,
another stagnation,
one refutes the stagnation assertion and says that it is false progress,
another says comfort,
another says it is your last success,
another thinks it is corruption,
another indecision,
another convention,
another delay,
another distraction,
another ego,
another self-conceit,
and yet another claims that it is free time.

Maybe they’re all right,
but it makes me wonder how much progress
would have been made in the world
if we spent less time thinking about the enemies of progress
and more time dreaming about and making that progress
that seems to concern us so much.

But what do I know?
I’m just a hypocrite
who wrote a poem
about the true enemy of progress.

Photo by Felix Mittermeier from Pexels

Today’s resource for compassion and empathy is the first episode of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. This series was created by Emmanuel Acho as an educational resource for white people in the U.S. at a time where many are coming to realize their white privilege (although many of his points probably help with understanding the actions and reactions of marginalized groups around the world).