The Parable of the Pipeline

I recently read a book by the same name. It was a great motivator. I’ll try to explain the parable in my own words shortly. This one is for people out there who dare to follow their dreams. I will do so too in the near future with a little more courage and motivation from my own self.

Introduction:

Once upon a time long long ago there lived two ambitious men called Pablo and Bruno in a small village in central Italy. They were the best of buddies and big dreamers. They used to endlessly talk about how they would become the richest of men in the village. They both were smart & diligent and all that they needed was an opportunity to prove themselves. One day this opportunity knocked their door. They were appointed by the villagers to carry water in buckets from a nearby river to the cistern in the Town Square. Both were overjoyed and started to work immediately. At the end of the day Bruno rejoiced at the opportunity but Pablo was not very sure about this idea. He dreaded to go next day to work and vowed to think of a better way to bring water to the cistern.

Pablo, the Pipeline Man:

The next day Pablo told his friend about his new idea to bring water to the village. Pablo suggested that instead on lunging back and forth to bring water from the river they can build a pipeline from the river to village. Bruno was not very happy with the idea as it sounded new and there were no short term benefits from the idea and he rejected that idea outright and was happy with whatever he was earning (It is very difficult to accept a change in our life isn’t it? Everything boils down to handling changes in life  ). But Pablo did not give up and worked on building the pipeline. He worked during the evenings and weekends along with the bucket carrier work. This brought down his productivity and he wasn’t able to earn as much as Bruno did. Soon Bruno earned quite a fortune but Pablo did not give up on his pipeline. He still hoped and believed that one day his dream of bringing water to the cistern would come true.

Small Actions equals Big Results:

While Bruno spent his evenings and weekends peacefully, Pablo had to work hard on his pipeline. He kept on reminding himself that “Tomorrow’s dreams are built on today’s sacrifices”. “Inch by inch it’s a cinch” he kept on saying to himself as he dug every foot in the ground. “Short-term pain equals long-term gains” he repeated to himself as he went to rest in his humble abode after a hard day’s work. “Keep your eyes on the prize” he repeated over and over as he drifted to sleep.

The Tables are Turned:

Hours turned into days, days turned into months and months turned into years but Pablo did not give up. His big day was coming nearer. His burden of carrying buckets was coming down. He watched his best friend carrying buckets, looking very tired, his shoulders stooped and villagers teased him on his gait. Bruno was doomed and was angry as he was destined to carry buckets day in and day out for the rest of his life. Finally Pablo’s big day arrived and he was praised by all the villagers for his creative idea. Pablo, the pipeline maker came to be known as Pablo, the miracle maker. He was lauded for his efforts by politicians and people all over the world.

Recruiting his friend to help:

On watching his friend struggle with the bucket he went and offered his friend an opportunity again to work with him. He told his friend “The pipeline I built isn’t the end of a dream. It is only the beginning! I plan to build pipelines all over the world”. Bruno finally saw the big picture and shook hands with his old friend.

Pipeline Dreams in a Bucket Carrying world:

A lot of years passed since this incident happened. Bruno and Pablo were retired but still had millions coming in as their income from their pipeline business. During their leisure trips to their village they would meet their childhood friends carrying buckets. They used to suggest the idea of pipelines to their fellow mates. A few of them would jump at the opportunity but most of them would dismiss the pipeline ideas with excuses like “I don’t have the time”, “My friend tried this and failed”, “I’ve done this all my life and would like to stick on with it”, “I know some people who lost money in this, I don’t want to take the risk”. Bruno and Pablo felt sad for these people who lacked vision.

End of the Story.

Reference: “The Parable of the pipeline” by Burke Hedges. Just to make sure I m not charged for Plagiarism.  :P

This finally concludes the fact that we still live in a bucket carrying world and that only a small percentage of people dare to dream the pipeline dreams.

Who are you “A BUCKET CARRIER” or “A PIPELINE BUILDER”?

P.S: forgive me for grammatical mistakes and errors in spelling. I’m writing this at the fag end of the day and this is the first time I’m trying my hand at narration. :) :P

Please leave your answers in your comments.