The Ambulance in the Valley

I want to begin this promised series with a story (actually a poem) that was related to me. In doing research, I found this same story on the internet in at least 2 other places. I discovered that it's author was Joseph Malins and that it was written in 1895! I think that fact proves the saying, "the more things change, the more they stay the same!" Perhaps you have heard this story before . . .

A Fence or an Ambulance*

“Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant;
but over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke and full many a peasant.
So the people said something would have to be done,
But their projects did not at all tally;
Some said, “Put a fence around the edge of the cliff,”
Some, “An ambulance down in the valley.”

But the cry for the ambulance carried the day,
For it spread through the neighboring city;
A fence may be useful or not, it is true,
But each heart became brimful of pity
For those who slipped over that dangerous cliff;
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave pound or gave pence, not to put up a fence,
But an ambulance down in the valley.

“For the cliff is all right, if you’re careful,” They said,
“And, if folks even slip and are dropping,
It isn’t the slipping that hurts them so much,
As the shock down below when they’re stopping.”
So day after day, as these mishaps occurred,
Quick forth would these rescuers sally
To pick up the victims who fell off the cliff,
With their ambulance down in the valley.

Then an old sage remarked; “its a marvel to me
That people give far more attention
To repairing results than to stopping the cause,
When they’d much better aim at prevention.
Let us stop at its source all this mischief.” cried he,
“Come neighbors and friends, let us rally;
If the cliff we will fence we might almost dispense
With the ambulance down in the valley.”

“Oh, he’s a fanatic,” The others rejoined,
“Dispense with the ambulance? Never!
He’d dispense with all charities, too, if he could;
No! No! We’ll support them forever.
Aren’t we picking up folks just as fast as they fall?
And shall this man dictate to us? Shall he?
Why should people of sense stop to put up a fence,
While the ambulance works in the valley?”

But a sensible few, who are practical too,
Will not bear with such nonsense much longer;
They believe that prevention is better than cure,
And their party will soon be the stronger.
Encourage them then, with your purse, voice , and pen,
And while other philanthropists dally,
They will scorn all pretense and put up a stout fence
On the cliff that hangs over the valley.

Better guide well the young then reclaim them when old,
For the voice of true wisdom is calling,
“To rescue the fallen is good, but ’tis best
To prevent other people from falling.”
Better close up the source of temptation and crime
Than deliver from dungeon or galley;
Better put a strong fence round the top of the cliff
Than an ambulance down in the valley

-Joseph Malins 1895

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I'm sure you've heard that before. I'm afraid that many industries today make millions off the mentality of the folks who wanted the ambulance in the valley. In this series, however, we are going to examine the other recourse: the fence.

Set a Better Sail

Hello Readers! I've been promising my business blog for a while now and I think I'm ready to dive in. I want to lay some ground rules and give you an idea of what I hope to accomplish with this blog.

This blog is for educational purposes. I will do my best not to bore you. I will do my best to bring you information that will be relevant to you and that you will want to read.

This blog is for your benefit more than for me. Of course, I hope that I help you and that you come to trust me and that, in the future, if you need what I have to offer, you'll come to me.

The focus of this blog is three-fold. I want to help you take charge of your life. I do not pretend to be an expert. I know a few things and I believe in them with all my heart. I am a teacher at heart. I cannot keep a good thing to myself. The first area of focus is Health and Wellness. I have always been interested in how our bodies were created and how our behaviors affect them. I believe that our bodies were created to heal themselves; however, if we do not take care of what we have been given, we will actually create a lack of health in our bodies. Some things are out of our control: such as the environment. But, if we will use the tools that are at our disposal and attempt to educate ourselves on the proper ways to care for our bodies, we can reap a multitude of rewards!

The next area of focus is Wealth. The majority of the people in this world are slaves to the system. We live from paycheck to paycheck. We do not save for the future. The corporate world offers little hope of fame and fortune to the majority, but what it does offer is stress, frustration, fatigue and . . . did I say stress? There is a better way. I want to help you find that way. The way where you are your own boss. You choose whom you work with. You choose the hours you work. You choose your pay. The way where you are rewarded in direct proportion to your efforts. And you can afford it. You may have tried it before, but if you failed, it's not your fault. I want to give you hope.

The third area of focus is Support. (You thought I was going to say Spirituality, didn't you? No, if I can help you in that area, it will be from my personal blog: http://leslie-tritsch.blogspot.com) You are not alone. There is help out there that costs you little to nothing. I want to help point you in that direction. Actually I want to be a part of that Support. That support is in the form of training, mentoring, education and friendship.

I will be posting at least weekly and will be starting with a series on an extremely important health situation in America today. I will more than likely intersperse posts along the way relating to the other areas of focus before I get through the first series. You may contact me at any time via email at t.tritsch@ms.metrocast.net if you have questions. Or you can comment at the end of each post. I will be monitoring any comments and will respond as quickly as possible.

I will also be sharing information from other sources that I feel may be of interest to you.

I'd like to quote the late "great" Jim Rohn in closing:

"We are all in a little sailboat called life. It’s not the blowing of the wind that determines our destination – it’s the set of the sails. The same wind blows on us all: the wind of disaster and the wind of opportunity; the wind when it’s favorable and when it’s unfavorable; the wind when it’s upside down; the economic, political and social winds. The difference in our arrival is not the blowing of the wind, it’s the set of our sails. We have to set a better sail – better thinking. Correcting the errors of the past and picking up new disciplines for the future. It’s our decision. We have to want to. Everyone’s life is the same – opportunity mixed with difficulty. For things to change we have to change. Don’t wish things were easier; wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems; wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom. You cannot grow without challenges. You can’t fly without gravity."

As we attempt to Take Charge of Our Lives, we would do well to take these words to heart. Set a Better Sail. Today is the first day of the rest of your life!