A story is told of an incident that took place several generations ago, during one of the most turbulent of the desert wars in the Middle East. A spy was captured and sentenced to death by a general of the Persian Army. The general, a man of intelligence and compassion, had adopted a strange and unusual custom in such cases. He permitted the condemned man to make a choice. The prisoner could either face the firing squad or pass through the Black Door.
As the moment of execution drew near, the general ordered the spy to be brought before him for a short, final interview, the primary purpose of which was to receive the answer of the doomed man to query: What shall it be - the firing squad or the Black Door?
This was not an easy decision and the prisoner hesitated, but soon made it known he much preferred the firing squad to the unknown horror that might await him behind the ominous and mysterious Black Door. Not long after, a volley of shots in the courtyard announced that the grim sentence had been fulfilled.
The general, staring at his boots, turned to his aide and said, "You see how it is with men: They will always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is charateristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. Yet, I have him his choice. "
"What lies beyond the Black Door?" asked his aide.
"Freedom," replied the general, " and I've known only a few men brave enough to take it"
Isn't that true? Don't most of us choose the known over the unknown, the comfortable instead of the uncomfortable? The unknown might give us the opportunities we desire, but we too often choose to stay where it's comfortable with the known.
REFLECTIONNAIRE:
The story presents to us man's cowardice to face the unknown and the unfamiliar. What is known and familiar gives us confidence and assurance, hence we travel on the road where most people are traveling. To travel on the road where few people are trodding is scary, we often follow the line of least resistance.
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