There is a Zen story about a man who set himself the task of digging a tunnel through the solid rock of a mountain to provide travelers with an alternative to a treacherous cliffside path. He worked to serve penance for his misdeeds, and it took him fifty years to complete the tunnel. At the time I read the story, I felt jealous of the man. Though his task was difficult, the value of its objective was clear and the rest of his life was clarified by his single vision of what he would work to accomplish. His story stirred the craving in me for a clarity of purpose that would be worthy of fifty years of my life to pursue, a vision of what unique contribution I could make.
Charlie Tilt
