One day a guy called Dave finds himself stranded in the desert with no food or water. After days of walking through the barren land he stumbles upon a village.

 

In the middle of the village is a pile of juicy fresh watermelons.

 

Dave starts sprinting for the watermelons, only to be stopped by the village headman.

 

Headman: “Sir, what are you doing?”

 

Dave: “I am going to eat a watermelon, I’m dying of starvation!”

 

Headman: “Those watermelons are sacred. If you eat them you will die.”

 

Dave: “Don’t be silly, they’re perfectly safe to eat. Watch.”

 

Dave runs up to the watermelons, breaks one open, and eats it. The villagers kill Dave for touching the sacred watermelon.

 

A couple years later another guy finds himself stranded in the desert. His name is Bob.

 

After several days with no water and no food, Bob stumbles across the same village with the same pile of juicy fresh watermelons.

 

Bob starts sprinting for the watermelons, only to be stopped by the village headman.

 

Headman: “Sir, what are you doing?”

 

Bob: “I am going to have a watermelon, I’m dying of starvation!”

 

Headman: “Those watermelons are sacred. If you eat them you will die.”

 

Bob: “Ahhhhh…. Sacred. I understand. I wonder what happens if you approach the watermelon?”

 

Headman: “No one has ever tried that.”

 

Bob: “Let’s see how close we can get.”

 

And so Bob creeps up to the watermelons, with a crowd of villagers tentatively following him.

 

Bob: “I wonder what happens if you touch the watermelon?”

 

Headman: “No one has ever tried that.”

 

And so Bob reaches out and briefly touches the watermelons. The villagers gasp, but when they see Bob is ok they too reach out and touch the watermelons.

 

Bob: “I wonder what happens if you eat the watermelon?”

 

Headman: “No one has ever tried that.”

 

And so Bob breaks open a watermelon and takes a bite. After an awkward silence whilst the villagers gaze in astonishment, they each grab a watermelon, break it and eat it.

 

No one gets killed.

 

The world is full of sacred watermelons. If you want people to let you eat them, you need to take them to the watermelon rather than rush ahead.

 

Rather be Bob than Dave.