On trying many things

The pleasures and the pitfalls

It’s said that when searching for water, it is better to dig one deep well than many that are shallow.

I heard this analogy recently from the teacher on the final day of the Vipassana course I attended. It was framed in reference to committing to a meditation or spiritual practice, but I found it revealing across so much of life.

We can try this and that technique in search of the best one, only to reach little depth with any. Instead, we’re left with dozens of half-dug holes, none of which lead to water, nourishment, or understanding.  

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the shallow wells I have scattered across my life.