One night, a Delta twin-engine puddle jumper
was flying somewhere
above New Jersey. There were five people on
board: the pilot, Michael
Jordan, Bill Gates, the Dali Lama, and a
hippie. Suddenly, an illegal
oxygen generator exploded loudly in the
luggage compartment, and the
passenger cabin began to fill with smoke.
The cockpit door opened,
and the pilot burst into the compartment.
"Gentlemen," he began, "I have good news and
bad news. The bad news
is that we're about to crash in New Jersey.
The good news is that
there are four parachutes, and I have one of
them!" With that, the
pilot threw open the door and jumped from
the plane.
Michael Jordan was on his feet in a flash.
"Gentlemen," he said, "I
am the world's greatest athlete. The world
needs great athletes. I
think the world's greatest athlete should
have a parachute!" With
these words, he grabbed one of the remaining
parachutes, and hurtled
through the door and into the night.
Bill Gates rose and said, "Gentlemen, I am
the world's smartest man.
The world needs smart men. I think the
world's smartest man should
have a parachute, too." He grabbed one, and
out he jumped.
The Dali Lama and the hippie looked at one
another. Finally, the Dali
Lama spoke. "My son," he said, "I have lived
a satisfying life and
have known the bliss of True Enlightenment.
You have your life ahead
of you; you take a parachute, and I will go
down with the plane."
The hippie smiled slowly and said, "Hey,
don't worry, pop. The
world's smartest man just jumped out wearing
my backpack."
(
geocities.com/vummintala)