A journey through the desert...
This story* is not mine â although I have borrowed it for many meetings and have used it liberally over the years. It's fun to tell, and in a metaphorical sense a story to live by.Â
It goes something like thisâÂThere were three Bedouin travelling through the barren desert and at the end of the day brought them to a small oasis. The day had been grueling and in the relief of the oasis they set up their camp, had a well deserved meal, and sat around the camp fire discussing the journey, and the days ahead. As the fire shrank and gave way to the desert night, they found themselves whispering about their hopes and dreams. As their whispers began to fade and the silence of the night crept in a small light appeared. The light expanded to fill the camp and was as bright as the sun â suddenly shank back into itself revealing a being of light floating in front of them; an omnipotent deity if you will. The three cowered at its feet waiting for him to speak.
In a voice that sang like angels the deity asked the three Bedouins what they desired? As quickly as he had asked, they were asking for lands, wives, children, and fortunes.
To this he said, "For that you will have to look to yourselves but I will offer you some wise words. Tomorrow as you travel through the hot desert pick up stones as you go and put them in your backpack. At the end of the day's journey and after you have set up camp look into your backpack â you will be both happy and saddened".Â
With that they looked at each other, and then as quickly as he had come, the deity disappeared. The night surrounded them once more.The Bedouin looked at each other and started to grumble â "He's a god and the best he could do is tell us to pick up stones"... "True gods are supposed to grant us our wishes"... and continued with other slanders to this effect. Eventually the grumbling gave way to disappointment, then silence, and then sleep.
The next morning the Bedouin took down their camp and began the day's trek through the scorching desert. As they made their way, they would talk unkindly about the visitor from the previous night â although every so often they would think to pick up a stone.
At the end of the day (and after they had set up their camp for the night), they sat enjoying their meal around the fire. One of the Bedouin remembered the visitor's words and looked in his bag while the others watched on. As predicted he was both happy and sad because all the stones he had picked up had become jewels; he whispered to himself, "If only he had picked up more stones".
And there you have it, one big fat metaphor for the journey â the wealth of learning and how "kids just don't listen to their elders".
As I've mentioned I have used this story a number of times and always from the perspective of "learning": picking up those stones of information and knowledge that one day will turn into something valuable. This of course is still very true but I see this as much more.The best journeys are meant to be hard. The value and stories are in the challenges, twists, turns, disappointments and unexpected joy. If you don't walk in the desert once in a while (figuratively and even literally) then you will miss everything that comes with it â the good, the bad, the indifferent, as well as the exciting, amazing and wonderful.Â
In all of the times I have told this story though, it wasn't until now that it truly struck me that  "kids really don't listen to their elders", be they 15 or 25, or somewhere in their 30's (even 40's maybe).Â
And this is the real message â search out the wise, those who have walked the desert, and bring them into your counsel. Excluding your parents, how often do you search out the perspective of someone 15 to 20 years older than you? You should because they are the ones who will tell you to pick up stones.
I need to round out my counsel it seems,
iamgpe
* I do not know who penned this story but I think his or her name has been lost in the annals of time â Like so many great things.
"
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Comments
Grahamđ Edwards
6 years ago #10
Thanks for the comment Joanne Gardocki... and you are right, the figuring out is the tricky part
Grahamđ Edwards
6 years ago #9
Thanks for the comment Deb\ud83d\udc1d Lange, Brand Ambassador @beBee... you are right we should get insights from as many diverse people as possible
Grahamđ Edwards
6 years ago #8
Thanks for the comment and insight Peter Altschuler
Grahamđ Edwards
6 years ago #7
Thanks for reading Debasish Majumder
Grahamđ Edwards
6 years ago #6
Thanks Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador
Grahamđ Edwards
6 years ago #5
Thanks Joyce \ud83d\udc1d Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
Grahamđ Edwards
6 years ago #4
Thanks so much for the comment Yolanda Ăvila MĂĄrquez
Grahamđ Edwards
6 years ago #3
Thanks for the comment Mimi Leinwand... funny how the universe is like that sometimes.
Debasish Majumder
6 years ago #2
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #1