Once there was a man who was dissatisfied with his life. Although he lived comfortably in a peaceful community of people, he felt that he deserved something better.
"The people here donÂ’t treat me properly," the man would often say to himself. "IÂ’m smarter and more ambitious than most of them, and I deserve more respect than IÂ’m getting. I donÂ’t fit in here. Perhaps I should just strike out on my own." He grumbled like this for years.
Then, one day, the man took a long walk. While walking, he stumbled upon a lovely piece of land. It was miles away from the town.
"This is perfect!" the man exclaimed. "You know, I can build a new home for myself here. I donÂ’t need all those people any more. IÂ’ll take care of my needs, and no one will bother me."
The man then began the work of building a home. After considering a few designs, he decided to build a tall tower. He would live in the top section of the tower, with a garden on the roof. The bottom of the tower would contain all sorts of traps to keep away threats.
The man labored diligently on his tower for months. Eventually it was ready: The traps were set at the bottom, to protect him against those who tried to take over his tower. And he was safely ensconced in the top. He would grow his own food, catch rainwater, and so on. It was a perfect plan.
And for quite some time, it worked. The man passed his days in the comfort of his tower, safely distanced from the unappreciative townfolk. He would sometimes feel lonely, but he was generally comfortable.
Then the years began to pass. Many days, the man would admit to himself how alone he felt – but he comforted himself with the thought that at least he was free from the disrespectful people of the town. And he was safe in the tower. Although he was lonely, his needs were met.
Finally, there came a day when the man looked down from his rooftop and saw a group of people approaching. These were the first people he had seen since he left the town. The group walked to a hillside near his tower and laid a blanket on the ground. It was a small family, out for a picnic lunch.
The man watched from a distance as the family ate their food and enjoyed the surrounding countryside. They seemed happy – and they barely noticed his tower. The man began to feel wistful. As he watched them pack up and walk away, he said, "Maybe people are nicer in that town now."
For the next week, the memory of the family haunted the man. "Maybe this wasnÂ’t such a good idea, building this tower," he thought. "I sure do miss talking to people. But on the other hand, IÂ’m pretty comfortable here."
The man wrestled with these thoughts for days. Finally, he made a decision: He would journey back to the town and see how things had changed. Perhaps he could try harder to make a few friends. Maybe there were some people whose company he would enjoy.
The man was suddenly happy, thinking thoughts like these. He gathered a few things and began running down the spiral staircase in his tower. When he reached a bolted door, closed for so long, he unlocked it, threw it open – and froze in horror. Suddenly he remembered what he had done.
When the man began building the tower, he was worried that people from the town would try to take it over. So he constructed a series of elaborate traps designed to attack invaders. These traps were brutal, and the man felt bad about building them. But he felt that they were necessary. As a compromise, he had posted signs outside of the tower warning about the impending danger.
But now, years later, the man couldnÂ’t remember what he had built. Vague memories of the devices were all he had.
The man stood at the door for a long time, contemplating what he had done. After a while he slowly closed the door and walked back up the stairs of his tower.
Dan Joseph has been writing about the connection between spirituality and psychology for the past ten years. He is the author of two books: "Inspired by Miracles" and "Inner Healing."
