A parable of abundance
There was once a well that had no walls. It was nothing more than a spring in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by stones that any creature could move. The water was sweet, and it never ran dry.
One day, a stranger came and said, “This well is inefficient. Anyone can dirty it. I will build a fence around it, and charge a small stone for each bucket. That way, only those who truly need it will drink, and I will keep it clean.”
The creatures agreed, for the stranger spoke well. The fence went up. A gate was installed. The stranger took stones from the thirsty and grew fat.
But soon, the stranger grew old. He had no children. When he died, the gate rusted shut, and no one remembered where the key was. The well became a memory. The creatures went thirsty.
A young penguin, who had heard the old stories, went to the fence and pushed against it. The wood was rotten. It broke easily. She removed the stones one by one, opening the well to the sky. Water flowed again.
“Why did we ever let him build the fence?” she asked.
And the elders answered: “Because we forgot that a well shared by all is the only well that never runs dry.”
Moral: A fence around a well does not protect it – it poisons it. The huddle keeps the well open.