Consider the Following Metaphor

      This is a story about a young lady named Jessica, who found herself in a bleak and cold place.   In this place, it was winter all year round.   As she looked around, she saw that the trees were bare and stood like icy, black stakes against the landscape.   The landscape was extremely barrren and frozen, and she found herself living in that place, all by herself.

      In this place it was quite difficult to keep warm, so what do you think she did?   She put on layer after layer of clothing, to bundle herself up, trying to keep warm.   She did this so much so, that finally she looked like a large, shapeless ball almost as wide as she was tall, trying her best to keep warm by adding layer, on top of layer, on top of layer.   In spite of this, she was not very happy because, she spent all of her time trying to keep warm.   She had little time nor energy for anything else.   Still she felt very cold and lonely, and sad.

      One day there came a brisk, unexpected knock on the door.   Jessica waddled slowly and clumbsily over to the door.   She reluctantly opened the door, just a crack, so as not to let in too much cold, and as she peeked out fearfully, she asked, "Who is there?"   A strong and firm voice replied, "Majesty, what are you doing here?   Did you not get our notice that everyone is being evacuated from this place?   Please, come with me immediately."   But Jessica said to the man, "Oh no, I can't leave my house.   I'm afraid to leave the house."   The strong voice insisted, "No, nonsense, you must leave or you will perish here."   And the stranger forced Jessica to come with him.

      Fearfully she waddled out, and they started on a journey.   After a while she asked, "Where are you going?   What will I do?"   The strong voice answered, "Trust in me.   I am taking you to a land where you can be warm and happy."   But Jessica, who had never known warmth or even happiness, fely very fearful, and yet, she understood that she had no choice, so she waddled on as fast as she could after the stranger.   They were following a path that led through all the desolation and they proceeded in this way for many days.

      One morning, Jessica noticed that the landscape seemed to be diferent.   Here and there, she saw shrubs, some of which even had leaves - she had never seen such a sight before.   She noticed also that she had moisture on her forehead and in the palms of her hands, and some moisture trickled down her body from her armpits.
      She asked the stranger, "What is this moisture on my forehead and hands, and trickling down my body?"   The stranged smiled with amusement.   "You are sweating, majesty."   "Oh," she said, "what is sweating?"   The stranger said, "When your body gets too warm, in order to cool it down, it sends out moisture which is called sweat, and when the sweat evaporates, you body gets cooler."   "Oh," Jessica said with wonder, "am I too warm?"   The stranger stared at her for a moment and said, "Try taking off a layer or two of clothing and see how you feel."

      Timidly, and with great reluctance, Jessica managed to remove the top two layers, and oh, she felt much more comfortable and much lighter immediately.   She also found that she felt freer, and then she found that she could walk better and appreciate the landscape more.   Each new day, with wonder and with growing delight, Jessica saw many new things apear as they proceeded on their journey - leaves on the trees, small animals hopping about, and even butterflies.   The sun appeared, golden and radiant, and the sky was blue - nothing like anything she had ever noticed before.   She said th the stranger, "We are in a new country."   The stranger smiled and relpied, "Yes, the climate is changing, and I have noticed that you have more sweat on your brow."

      And so the young woman, this time with much less fear and with some eagerness, took off another two layers.   Oh, and she felt wonderful!   Much lighter.   She was able to walk much better, and the stranger did not have to stop and wait for her nearly so often.   She could swing her arms freely, and her legs felt longer.   And she noticed each day that there were more trees in leaf, more flowers in bloom, more birds winging, more song.   The breeze was delightfully fragrant on her face, and without waiting for the stranger to suggest it, she began taking off layer after layer, and freeing her body more and more.