145 - Understanding the problem

A lion was taken into captivity and thrown into a concentration camp where, to his amazement, he found other lions who had been there for years, some of them all their lives, for they had been born there.

He soon became acquainted with the social activities of the camp lions. They banded themselves into groups. One group consisted of the socialise; another was into show-business; yet another was cultural for its purpose was to carefully preserve the customs, the tradition and the history of the time when lions were free; other groups were religious, they gathered mostly to sing moving songs about a future jungle where there would be no fences; some groups attracted those who were literary and artistic by nature; others still were revolutionary, they met to plot against their captors or against other revolutionary groups.

Every now and then a revolution would break out, one particular group would be wiped out by another, or the guards would all be killed and replaced by another set of guards.

As he looked around, the newcomer observed one lion who always seemed deep in thought, a loner who belonged to no group and mostly kept  away from everyone.

There was something strange about him that commanded everyone's admiration and everyone's hostility for his presence aroused fear and self-doubt. He said to the newcomer, "Join no group. These poor fools are busy with everything except what is essential."

"And what is that?" asked the newcomer.
"Studying the nature of the fence."

source: Stories from Here and There, Ekalavya Education Foundation - By: Sunil Handa - http://www.eklavya.org/storyhere.html