How to answer “Why is graduate study important at this time in your life?”, when the reasons are very personal? I am applying to our organization‘s scholarship program to pay for graduate school (if I get accepted).
One of essay questions is:

Why is graduate study important at this time in your life?

Well, there are lot of personal reasons for that. For instance, I wish to get my mind off a terrible tragedy in my life that happened about a year or two ago, and they say being productive and busy is one of the best ways to get over things.
Question: How much personal things to include in a scholarship essay? Would this add depth to the essay, or simply detract. I mean, the word life is in the question and it includes all sorts of things beyond academics and career.
Update
Thank you all for your feedback.
It also answered other questions that I did not post, so a big thank you to all.
You should probably keep your academic interests as the main point. If you write that you are applying to recover from a tragedy in your life, it might not be clear whether you are actually interested in that specific program (or are you just looking for something to do) or whether you might change your mind later.

Also, someone could suspect whether you could tolerate additional stress right now.

Anyway, if you have been out of work or study for a long time due to the tragedy, it is probably best to briefly mention it.