Discretion is the better part of valor Two men hiked along a mountain trail. On their right, a thousand feet drop off of the cliff. One man walked as far to the left as possible saying, Thats a big drop, I wouldnt get too close. The other man walked right along the edge answering, There is nothing to fear. The edge is perfectly safe, as long as Im careful and watch my step. The first hiker continued to stay away from the cliff, never having taken this trail before, and not being certain as to the stability of the rock along the cliff. The second hiker, annoyed at his partners reluctance, blurted out, Youre being ridiculous and slowing us down. Nothing bad will happen to you if you walk where I do. Lets go. The cautious hiker continued to keep his distance from the edge, content with his pace and attentive to the placement of his feet. The other hiker quickly moved along, without care as to where he walked, confident that the trail is as stable as everyone has told him it would be. The difference in pace between the two hikers continued for hours, and a large gap opened up between them, so that the more cautious hiker could no longer see the faster hiker in front. He continued to move at his own pace, maintaining what he felt to be a safe distance from the edge. Rounding a corner in the trail, the slower hiker heard someone calling out, but could not see from where the voice came. Help! Down here!, called out the hiker who had been in front. The slower hiker cautiously edged up to the drop off and peered over. The other hiker was hanging precariously from a ledge, about thirty feet below. Help me up, called the fallen hiker. The hiker up on the trail looked all around for a way to help, but there was no safe way for him to get down to help, without dooming the both of them. I cant get down there. Ill have to go for help. The fallen hiker screamed, But I dont want to stay down here. I could die. Get down here and help me! The first hiker knew that there was no way he could help, other than to leave the second hiker in his dangerous predicament, and to go for help. He knew that if he tried to go down and help, they would both die. So he began retracing his steps. It seemed to the fallen hiker as if his partner had abandoned him. He had been gone for hours. He wished that he had been more cautious now; that he had stayed with the other hiker and not been so confident in relying upon the reports from others about how safe the trail was. He now knows he should have stayed away from the cliff. It took hours, but the first hiker reached the ranger station and a rescue was initiated. Professional rescue team members hurried to the point where the fallen hiker was hanging on. They arrive at the place where the first hiker had marked as the place where his partner was. Rescuers rappelled down the thirty feet to where he should be, but the only thing they found was a glove wedged between two rocks. They returned to the trail and asked the first hiker, Is this your friends glove? Yes, he answered. Im afraid hes gone then. The cliff drops off a thousand feet from there. This has now become a retrieval operation. The first hiker felt sorry for his friend, but knows there was nothing he could have done to help. The blame was all upon him, for choosing to ignore the risk and walk too close to the unstable edge. Moral of the story: You cant take a step back from the edge, after youve fallen over the cliff.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 14:22:14 +0000