Be Patient & Listen Carefully

A man – let´s call him Ben – uses his vacation for visiting the deserts in Africa. On the evening of the first day he and his tourism group leave the hotel in order to have a long walk outside and to see the dawn. Ben looses is party and now has to find back to the hotel on his own. After walking through the sand the whole night Ben feels pretty thirsty. He needs something to drink.

At 9 a.m. he notices an old wooden barrack on the horizon. Therefore he walks a bit faster. When he arrives at the house he asks the occupant (an old lady) whether she could give him something to drink. And she replies: “I am sorry Sir, because I need all my water for myself, but I could give you a cravat as well. It later could warm up your mind a bit.” Ben is confused: “Are you joking? I simply asked for something to drink. If I´d be looking for a cravat I´d surely have enquired for one directly.”Without listening further Ben walks on.

At 10 a.m. he feels nauseous and a bit dizzy as well. In the distance he remarks a tent, which seems to be a kind of counter with all of it´s advertisements. Ben moves a bit faster again and after arriving at the tent he asks the owner: “Sir, could you offer me something to drink?And the salesman replies: “I am sorry, Mr., but I can´t. I just am able to sell you a cravat. Look at this one. Doesn´t it look elegant? You´ll surely be welcome in every hotel if you wear it.”Ben rejects: “Listen! I simply asked for something to drink, a glass of water or something. I don´t want your cravats.”And without listening further Ben walks on.

At 11 a.m. it´s pretty hot and Ben sweats a lot. Suddenly he remarks a rider on a camel, coming nearer and nearer. And when the camel is standing right in front of him, Ben asks:“Sir, may I probably buy a bottle of water from you.And the stranger replies:“I would sell you some water, but unfortunately I have forgotten my bottle at home.”The stranger rides further. Now Ben becomes very angry and shouts:“What´s the matter with all of you? Can´t anyone provide something to drink for me? And if noone can, why don´t you simply tell me where the next hotel is? A hotel always owns and sells water!”So the man on the camel turns around again and answers very friendly:“Well, there´s no need to scream, Sir. About 500 metres in this direction you will find a hotel, but you´ll need a cra…”But Ben doesn´t listen anymore. He´s in a hurry now and runs the whole way althrough the sand, looking forward to enjoying a cool drink, sitting at the pool.

When he arrives at the hotel´s entry a doorman holds him back. Ben´s totally desperated:“Sir, please let me in. I really need something to drink. It´s urgent!”And the concierge answers:“We´d surely give you some water or anything else you´d like to drink, but without wearing a cravat I can´t let you in.”

And what we learn from this story is:
Sometimes it´s better to be patient and almost ever it´s advisable to listen carefully to what otherones say.