The Man On The Cliff Face

A man was climbing a cliff face and, growing tired, stopped to rest. As he rested he watched others as they kept climbing. Those near made their way past him, those below came closer, and those above put more distance between them.

The man lost all motivation and desire to climb higher-it seemed like too much effort-but he grew increasingly frustrated that others were passing him. Seeing them made him feel like he wasn’t doing a good job.

He became inflamed with jealousy, and reached out to a boy climbing next to him. Grabbing an ankle, he yanked him away from the wall. Seeing the boy fall back beneath him, the man felt slightly better. Well, he felt like he was doing better than that young man.

And so he decided to do the same with any that would climb near him. Men, women, children, he would grab a hold and pull them away. He felt he was a lot higher on the cliff face, and a lot more accomplished, with so many people below him.

Eventually people stopped climbing within arms reach of the man, and he was left alone on the cliff face, with no-one to accompany him on his halted journey.

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Photo by Emile Guillemot on Unsplash