Digging in the Wrong Direction (Source Unknown)
There’s a man who has been by himself in a prison cell with a dirt floor, crude stone walls, and there’s two windows one of which looks out towards the ocean. All of the sudden, he hears a scratching noise, and he looks down at the ground that is furthest away from the window facing the ocean. He sees the ground moving, and he starts to think he’s losing his mind. But soon the ground breaks, and up pops a head with long hair and a beard… it’s a prisoner.
And the prisoner says “Sssh. Listen. A group of us have been tunneling for about six years, and we’ve finally reached your cell. We have ways to cover up my entrance into this, but now it’s all on your shoulders, man. All you have to do,” he said while pointing out the window towards the ocean, “you just start digging here and go down about six feet and about 75 feet in that direction and there is freedom, and we’re outta here!”
“Oh, I love that! That’s great; I want to be free!”
“Okay, I’ll check back with you in a few weeks.”
Two weeks later, the pops back in to check on his friend’s progress, and his friend nods back with great affirmation. “Yeah, I’ve done it.”
So the man who was providing the instructions pops down the hole, and two seconds later pops right back up and says, “What have you done?!?!?”
“Huh?”
“I told you to dig in the direction towards the OCEAN! This tunnel that you dug goes back under the wall and into the prison yard.”
“Well, the digging was easier in the other direction…”
Reflection Questions
Can you recall when you decided to take a more difficult direction, and it led you to a better place? OR Does this story relate to any aspect of your own life?