Stuck in a fence.

The other day I heard the familiar sound of a goat stuck in a fence. This is not an uncommon occurrence, and I knew it was time to find the goat and help it out of the problem. I also knew from past experience that it was a thankless job. It would probably hurt the goat and could scratch me up if I didn’t handle it well. Ironically, the goat would resist the help and actually work counterproductively to my efforts.

Sure enough all those things took place and as the goat ran off to join her friends, I began to reflect on the root of this continual problem. Why would a goat with unlimited cuisine in the form of trees, grass, various grains, roots, leaves, and an assortment of weeds, desire what is essentially the same thing on the other side of the fence? There can be only one answer to this conundrum—greed. Or as the old cliché goes “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”

How often does greed cause us to get stuck in a fence? As we try to improve ourselves and look beyond what is around us, we often create more problems than we solve. I suppose the desire to reach for something greater than our current status is an admirable trait in many respects. Goals and vision are two vital ingredients to progress, creativity, and development both individually and corporately. There is no denying that the world was improved through the ingenious and tireless efforts of people who saw beyond the obvious and ventured into regions only imagined by others. The ideas of Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo DaVinci, and Isaac Newton—to name three—ultimately led to vast productivity, ideas, and cultural development even today. These three and countless others saw beyond the fence and diligently applied their own creative spirits to the task of reaching beyond the obvious.

But they did not reach beyond the fence to get the same thing they could have within the fence. Instead, it was their creative mind that imagined the possibilities. In the case of the goat, greed did not produce great creative ideas but rather caused it to try to attain what was already within its grasp. In other words, ideas are potentially enriching and rewarding, but ideas that are simply a restatement of current reality are not really ideas!

By this time, the reader is probably thinking that attributing reasoning to goats is without foundation and I agree. But the point is that greed put the goats in the situation to get stuck. No matter what the reason was, the result was negative. No matter what the effort was, the goat would not be able to get out of the mess without help. How often have you been stuck? Perhaps you have several fences including finances or relationships or health issues or career or anger or any one of a myriad of challenges facing us each day. You got yourself into the fence out of choice, now seek help and get yourself out!

1. Do not get yourself stuck in a fence. Make wise decisions and live within the parameters set forth for yourself. Dream big and have a vision but don’t let greed place you in a position of helplessness.
2. If you do get stuck in a fence, don’t struggle in vain for hours, days, or years. Instead, seek help. It is readily available in many forms!
3. If you see someone or even something stuck in a fence, take a moment to help. You are making a difference by helping. Maybe today it is a goat but tomorrow could be a family member or a friend.