Holding Fishing Polls

Twenty million brothers sitting holding fishing poles, around a well in the middle of a desert. Each was asking the ones around him, “How do we get water”. Then one of the men saw the need and stood up. He began to speak in a mild voice and everyone gazed upon him. He spoke of food and desire. He spoke to their hearts by addressing there needs. They looked at him and no one spoke. No one looked away as he talked of great banquets and flowing wine. He had them in his voice. As he began to talk of a vision of a lake full of fish and fresh water, one of the brothers raised up. No one noticed him until he spoke. He spoke out a simple question that sparked a revolt among the crowd, “what about the well?” The bubble of grunts of the crowd rippled up to the one leading the group. He denounced the one mutineer as foolish. “How long have we sat at this well hungry and growing tired? What have theses fishing poles gotten us out of it? Have any of us gotten more than a drop of water from it? Can we live on drops?” He quickly sat down and was not heard from again. He blended into the crowd and no one but himself even remembered the question as the leader began to speak of this lake just over the hill. At the peak of the fervor he commanded them to get up with their poles and follow to this lake. The crowd jumped up from their silence with shouts and exclamations of “the lake”. All twenty million turned and ran with all they had, except 1. 1 man did not move but remained sitting in his spot still clutching his fishing pole. He sat and watched the crowd run towards the distant hills. As they disappeared out of site he turned back to the well and looked in worry. “It’s true. What has this well ever given me, besides a few drops from time to time? But then again I’m still here and those few drops have sustained the lot of us for so long. Am I a fool for not leaving?” He stood up, walked to the well and said in desperation, “I am here!” He threw his pole in and sat down where he was. At once it began to rain. It began to down pour until everything was soaked and the well began to fill. The water reached the top and spilled over the edges. The rain did stop a good time after that, the sun eventually came out, but the well never ceased over flowing. It spilled out constantly and formed a steady stream of sweet, pure water. The bubbling filled his heart and his spirit laughed with joy. Grasses, trees and all sorts for grains and berries began to sprout up along the stream. He was well fed and satisfied.

But what about the group? He never knew what became of them. But from time to time passers by would appear. He would invite them to stop and offer them some of his food. They were all perplexed at his bounty in the middle of the desert and would ask him how he came upon such a fortune. He would tell them the story of the twenty million, of the well and of the rain. All were curious but not all understood. Some ate what he offered. Some stayed, ate and got fat. Some stayed, ate, understood and shared. And some ate and took sacs of food and bottles of the water with them to their groups. Streams appeared over the whole country. Many men were feed. But many never heard and they continued to search and continued to be vulnerable, to be lead to stale, stagnate lakes.