One day, a wandering cow needed to cross a forest in order to return to its pasture. Being an irrational animal, it forged out a tortuous path full of bends, up and down hills.
The next day, a dog came by and used the same path to cross the forest. Next it was a sheep’s turn, who led it’s entire flock through also, widening the path.
Later, humans began using the path: they bent down, deviating obstacles, complaining and cursing – and quite rightly so. But they did nothing to create a different route.
After so much use, in the end, the path became a trail along which poor animals toiled under heavy loads, being forced to go three hours to cover a distance which would normally take thirty minutes.
Many years passed and the trail became the main road of a village, and later the main avenue of a town. Everyone complained about the traffic, because the route it took was the worst possible one.
Meanwhile, the old and wise forest laughed, at seeing how men tend to blindly follow the way already open, without ever asking whether it really is the best choice.
(An old Malayalam story)
*****
Just something to think about this coming week. Who forged your path originally? Can you reinvent it (or even just a small portion of it)?
Happy Sunday!
– Joel
“We were recently in the Maldives and I got a pic of the sunrise and the sunset, from the same day. First time ever seeing both in the same day (definitely helps being on a small island).” — From my friends the Dragons! 🙏
