There Was Once A Man Who Lived In A Deep ...

There was once a man who lived in a deep valley. It was dark, desolate, cold and foreboding. At the edge of the mountain was a massive mountain, towering into the sky. The man had become so obsessed with the thought of escaping the valley that he finally decided to climb the face of the mountain. The start of the climb was simple at first. There were ledges that he could easily stand upon, ways to bolster himself higher up the face of the mountain. However, the higher he got, the rougher it became. Some sides of the mountain were impossible to pass, and he had to find another way. Some of the jutting rocks were incredibly difficult to grab ahold of, and he nearly slipped on several trys from the narrow footholds on the rock face. Along the way, he was tangled up in thorns, and cut himself on the rocks themselves, but still he was determined to make it to the summit. Finally, after intense struggle and perseverance, he made it to the top. He sat in awe of the beauty that surrounded him. The smells of the beautiful flowers that he never saw before filled him will such emmince joy that he had missed his whole life. Not far from where he came up, there was a cabin where an old man had lived his whole life. He watched in bewilderment as this man sang songs and shouted like a child at the natural beauty of the world. Finally, he spoke, "What is wrong with you? I have lived here for years, and there is absolutely nothing spectacular about this place. I wake every morning to the same thing, and trust me, there is nothing special about it. So why carry on this way? Do you not have any sense?" The joyous climber answer, "Sir, all my life I had spent in a desolate waste down below. It was dark, cold, and each day was a struggle. I wanted to escape so badly, just for a little while, to experience the joy and pleasure of this magnificent view and feel the warm breezes of the sunlight. No doubt you have forgotten what life was like in the valley. If you had remembered, you would always appreciate what you have here."