Four ants are hopelessly stuck on the floor bottom of an old, dusty grandfather clock that never stops ticking. They soon begin to notice that the only relief from the stale, dank air inside the clock is the refreshing breeze caused by the clock’s mighty pendulum as it swings back and forth.
The first ant is impetuous. He sees that the pendulum is moving left and quickly races there to receive the refreshing breeze as it completes its swing.
The second ant is not so impetuous. He is reactive. Seeing that the pendulum will soon reverse its swing, he moves confidently to the far right to await the justifying air brought on by the pendulum as it returns.
The third ant is neither impetuous nor reactive. He is patient and clever. He observes how the pendulum swings in two directions and takes a confident position directly below the pendulum at the center to receive a rewarding gust as it moves both left and right.
But the fourth ant is not only patient and clever. He is also brave, determined and wise. From no position in particular, he makes a courageous leap onto the pendulum itself. There to enjoy a gratifying wind at all times no matter where the pendulum happens to swing. And it is from this vantage point that he realizes that the pendulum itself may be easily climbed and the old, dusty clock escaped.
What is the moral of this story?