“We tour the world
searching for what we need to come home to find.” –Andres Lara
Many people erroneously believe that it is always better on
the other side of the fence than the side where they are. They think that there
are always more diamonds in somebody else’s back-yard than theirs. This is
wrong. It is always better to prospect and mine your own diamonds right where
you are. In 1915, Mr. Russell Cornwell wrote a beautiful book called “Acres of Diamonds” which pointed out the
mistakes people have made and are still making when they believe and act as if
it is always better somewhere else. It is related in a story about Al Hafed. Al
Hafed was a farmer who lived near River Indus in ancient Persia. He was happy
and contented. He heard stories of the value and glory of diamonds and the
power that goes with them. He was told about places where he could find
diamonds for himself and he started dreaming of owning diamonds. He made up his
mind to go in search of diamonds. The next morning, Al Hafed made arrangements
to sell his farm, took care of his family and went in search of diamonds. He
looked all over Africa and could not find diamonds. He looked in Europe and
could not find any. Frustrated after a long and fruitless search, he committed
suicide. Meanwhile, back home, the person who bought the farm Al Hafed sold
soon discovered diamonds within the farm. He found out that the farm was
covered with acres of diamonds.
From the moral of this story, it is clear that the grass may
appear to always look greener on the other side of the fence but this is not
always a true picture as the sad story of Al Hafed shows.
