Vernon Howard

   Life is not static. You either grow or you regress. The choice is yours. Here is a mental Picture to make it clearer.

   Picture a green oasis in the middle of the desert, rich with cool water and refreshing shade. It offers a beautiful and healthy life.

   A mile away, out in the hot desert, a man is lost. But he is close enough to the oasis to catch a glimpse of it. He can see the difference between the greenery of the oasis and the gray sands around him. BECAUSE HE CAN SEE MERELY THAT MUCH, HE IS ENCOURAGED TO FIND MORE. And so he heads for the oasis, growing closer, richer, with each step.

   But take another wanderer, three miles distant from the oasis. Because he is further away he is less likely to look and be encouraged. So he turns in the wrong direction and wanders even farther and farther away. Because he can see nothing of the oasis he wanders in despair and bitterness. In that state he is likely to see an illusionary oasis, a mirage. And so his life is wasted in stumbling toward one illusion after another.

   The point is this: The closer we come to the Truth the more we value it. Then, because we value it more, we come even closer. That is why the rich get richer. They earn it with their own effort.

   Any wanderer can change direction at anytime. No one needs to be lost. Any man or woman, through right action, can find the oasis.

Source: Psycho-Pictgraphy