Analogies

Having grown up in a coastal area,I find many of my analogies for human behavior are water-related.People can be like boats,in so many ways,but the focus here is on maintenance. For some,the pride and joy of ownership creates a craving to do everything possible to keep the vessel "ship shape" - the engine is tuned up and all its liquids regularly changed.The mooring lines are checked for fraying and promptly replaced.The boat is hauled out for regular scraping and bottom painting...then thoroughly inspected . After each outing , all is lovingly hosed and polished to eliminate salt damage,the wood properly oiled...all is well and ready for the next trip .These people are grateful for their varied abilities,use them properly and play well with others .
Others,carried away with the burdens of the day,take the deferred maintenance approach.Sure that all will be well "until they can get to it ",they are entangled elsewhere . The lines that should moor them safely to the dock are weakened and frayed,barely able to keep them safe in daily life,much less so,a storm . The engine is clogged with dirty oil,desperate for a tune up .The bottom of the boat,in stagnation,attracts barnacles,which proliferate in spiny profusion . Algae roots next to them to give the boat's bottom a fuzzy coat of green .Small crabs move in to complete this new ecosystem.Should there be a demand for use , this sorry vessel is ill-equipped to respond . These people are so self-focused...Benjamin Franklin said,"A man totally wrapped up in himself makes a very small package ".No time to maintain and hone those gifts...all is in disarray and ruin . Although one wit described a boat as"A hole in the water you throw all your money into ",the good news is that all boats can be salvaged ! One starts from the inside and works out...restoring...maintaining...improving....hope for all of us !