The Joke That Really Isn't

Once upon a time, there was a young man in college who was very excited. He had worked hard in high school and managed to gain entrance to a very prestigious college. He thought, now I am going to be somebody, and worked diligently to get the best grades that he could.

After some time he realized that there was something missing, after all, getting good grades was fine, but they only went so far and he believed that there was something more. That's when he met a lovely young woman with whom he fell in love.
"Now I know what was missing." So he married the lovely young woman as soon as he finished college.

But after college he realized that there was still something missing. His friends told him that he needed to have children soon, because children gave your life permanence and purpose. So he talked with his wife and they set about starting a family, and in a few short years they had two lovely, healthy children and he thought, "Now I know what I was missing."

Still, something felt incomplete. The man had worked in a few different jobs, but hadn't settled into a path that felt right. He spoke to many people including his father who advised him to do what he loved. The man loved to tell stories, so he found a job where he could tell stories and discovered that he felt happier. So, looking back he realized that his wife and children were not enough, and that now that he had a true vocation, he would be happy.

A few years went by, his children grew, he advanced in his career and became more successful. But still, he felt like there was something missing. He looked around and saw that his friends all had the same things as he did, a home, a family a career, and they appeared content so why didn't he?

He began to look for answers. First he started to read many books about the meaning of life. While he gained some insights, he still didn't feel that what he was reading provided him with the answers he was seeking. He started to become obsessed with finding the answers he needed.

His wife told him that he should be happy with what he had. His pastor told him to find peace in God, and his parents told him that they were proud of him and that he should be proud of himself.

But nothing that anyone said seemed to satisfy him. A friend told him that true wisdom lay in Eastern philosophy, and so the man began to read a great deal of Eastern Philosophy. The man began to become enlightened and expanded his view of the universe and his role within it.

But still, he felt that there was something missing. This feeling gnawed at him and he became even more obsessed. One day he came home and told his wife he could not stand it any longer.

Even though she pleaded with him, he quit his job and devoted all of his time to studying philosophy. His wife grew frustrated and desperate and finally left him. Though hurt, he felt that he could not give up his quest.

He used his remaining money to travel to China in search of someone there who could help him to find the answers he sought. Once there he found many teachers, but none that could give him the deeper answers he was looking for. That was when someone told him the wisest teachers were in Nepal. So he made the long journey to the Himalayas.

He found a monastery that allowed him to stay and learn in exchange for work. He worked hard at cleaning the monks robes and dishes, all the while he studied hard, looking deeper and deeper into his soul. While he felt that he was getting closer to the answers he wanted, something was still missing.

Seeing his frustration, the elder monk told him that he must seek out the wisest man of all time, the great Sri Unum. "Only the great Sri Unum has the wisdom to give you the answers that you seek."

The man was overjoyed but the monk warned him that the great Sri Unum lived on top of the most difficult and treacherous mountain in the Himalayas and that the journey to him would be hard and long and he could lose everything. The man didn't care.

"I have to know" he told the monk and he set out to find the great Sri Unum. He walked for weeks, over harsh terrain in terrible conditions. Along the way, he was robbed of his remaining money. He cloths became threadbare and torn, but still he persisted. When he saw the mountain that the great Sri Unum lived atop, he was disheartened for it was a truly intimidating mountain. But he was determined and so he walked on.

He climbed and climbed the rocky face of the mountain. His hands and feet became bloody and blistered. He was frost-bitten and starving, but still he climbed on until he reached the summit where he saw a small wooden shack sitting in a bare patch of ground at the very top of the world.

By this time the man was nearly broken. He could not walk but crawled his way to the door of the humble shack. When he opened the door, he saw a very old man sitting in lotus, smiling peacefully.

It took all the man's strength to ask, "Are you Sri Unum?"

"Yes, I am he." said the old man.

""Oh that is wonderful, I have come so far, given up everything to find the answer that I seek, can you help me?"

"Yes, of course. What is your question?"

"What is the meaning of life?" asked the man.

"Life..." began the great Sri Unum, "is like a fountain."

The man looked at the great Sri Unum, waiting...but there was nothing more.

"That's it?" asked the man, "I have come all this way, lost my wife and family, given up my home and all my possessions and you tell me that life is like a fountain?"

The great Sri Unum looked surprised, and then a little confused, "You mean, life is not like a fountain?"