Once upon a time there were two
men, both seriously ill, who shared a hospital room. Although the room
was very small it did have one window. The man whose bed was next to this
window was allowed to sit up in bed one hour a day. He would spend the
entire hour describing to his roommate all the wonderful things he saw
outside.
The window overlooked a manicured
park with a deep-blue lake that was filled with swans. children would play
at the water's edge, feed the swans and sail toy boats. Young lovers would
walk hand-in-hand beneath the trees. There were flowers and grass and picnics
and softball games. If that weren't enough, in the faraway distance, there
was a fringe of trees and a fine view of the city's skyline.
The man on his back would listen
to his roommate detail all of the many wonders, and he enjoyed every minute.
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Then one afternoon, the thought struck him. "Why should the guy next to the window have all the enjoyment? Why shouldn't he get a chance?" He felt really ashamed for thinking these thoughts, but the more he thought about the injustice, the more he wanted a change. He'd do anything, he thought, to get moved to the bed with the view.
Not long thereafter, the man by the window got better, was released and went home.
Immediately, the roommate requested that he be moved to the bed next to the window. So they moved him.
The minute the nurses left the room,
the fellow propped himself up--and with tremendous anticipation--finally
got to look out the window and found himself,
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To me this confirms the quote by
Einstein: