Buzzard, Bat & the Bumblebee
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open
at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute
prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground
with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will
not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail
with no top.
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature
in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor
or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt,
painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw
itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies,
unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but
persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom.
It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat, and the
bumblebee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations,
not ever realizing