Somewhere I read that 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. 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 without a 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 in a flash.
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler or glass, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the open 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 some ways, we humans are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations and losses, never realizing that all we have to do is LOOK UP. Many people wrongly believe spirituality or spiritual paths are just ways to control them. But spiritual paths that put us in touch with ourselves and the life SPIRIT around us does just the opposite: IT SETS US FREE! It gives us meaning, hope, and purpose.
My little book RECHRISTENING AMERICAN CHRISTIANS helps us look up and invites us to discover meaning, hope, and purpose. SEE michael-murphyauthor.com/my-book-shop