A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He
reduced altitude and spotted a man below. He
descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me,
can you help me? I promised a friend I would
meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon
hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground.
You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude
and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.
"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the man, "How did you know?"
Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told
me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to
make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost.
Frankly, you've not been much help so far."
The man below responded, "You must be a manager."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are
or where you are going. You have risen to where you
are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a
promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you
expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in
exactly the same position you were in before we met, but
now, somehow, it's my fault." |
