Years ago I heard a story, a parable of sorts, and the lesson has stayed with me. The story goes something like this:
In the early years of European contact with the New World, a ship set sail on a trading expedition across the Atlantic. The American continents and oceans in the sixteenth century were as yet largely uncharted. Few maps of much detail existed to guide mariners with certainty.
After many weeks at sea, the ship's crew found itself dangerously low on fresh water. What remained was strictly rationed. Finally, the crew was in desperation—the drinking water was exhausted, they were unsure of their exact location, and land was nowhere in sight.
