A Misplaced Man

Once there was a young man who was endowed with everything necessary for him to be successful in life by society's standards.

He had the financial mean and the intellect by which he gained an education,

His education offered the opportunity to join a large well known corporation,

He climbed the executive ladder which is membership in the country club as well as a fine, beautiful home and all the automobiles that go with it,

The people in his community called him a success.

The young man looked at his life and realized something was missing. There was a void. To fill this void he felt he must have all there is of life's fill.

In the beginning, because he had the financial means, he tried the psychologists, psychiatrists and group therapy sessions that were then popular.

He expended a lot of money in this endeavor but it gained him little.

Before long, he found himself on the streets with groups of people like him, people who were seeking an answer even though they weren't sure what the question was.

One morning after he came to in an alley after a night of heavy drinking, he began to look back over his life.

He recalled that during his education he had acquired a great set of books introducing him to the philosophers of the past and the philosophers of the present day.

He decided to return to those books to find the answers that might be the cause of his drinking.

Philosophically and intellectually he could understand the words that these people shared with him but he could not practice them in his life.

In this great set of books there was a study of the religions of the world, including one of an ancient Far Eastern religion whose wisdom keepers were referred to as gurus.

According to what he read these gurus had all the answers, all knowledge, and all understanding of life.

The young man said" That is what I need to do, I need to go to India and find these Gurus." SO he boarded a plane, landed in New Delhi, chartered a boat and went up river.

When the boat docked many day s later, the young man disembarked with his belongings.

The people of the village approached him, and even though they couldn't understand each other the people in this place had seen many men like him come up the river.

They knew why he was there,

When he posed the question, "Where is the guru?" they pointed towards a high mountain.

There was a vast wilderness between the river and the mountain.

The young man began to have second thoughts about his journey, but since he had studied philosophy he thought, "well, maybe I have to suffer some more before I find my answers." So he began his trek across that wilderness.

After a hard journey of many weeks he came to the base of the mountain, broken in body, broken in spirit, and feeling his endeavors would once again gain him nothing. But at the base of the mountain he looked up and saw a small crow perched in a tree and smoke coming from a cave just behind the ledge.

He said to himself. "That's where the guru lives."

Rejuvenated in spirit he climbed the mountain, arrived at the base of the ledge, and saw a ladder leading up to the cave. "This is it," thought the young man. "at the top of this ladder lies the answer to all my questions."

Just back inside the little cave he saw an elderly man sitting in the lotus position meditating upon the setting sun. The old man saw him and regarded him quietly. He knew why the young man had come.

"What is your question?" he said

"Guru," said the seeker, "what must I do to find peace, happiness, serenity, and an understanding of life?"

The Guru broke from his mediation upon the setting sun, turned and regarded our brother.

Time seemed to stand still.

After what seemed to be a lifetime the guru spoke "Don't Drink, and go to a meetings," he said.