copyright © 2003 by Robert L. Blau

    Six travelers were sailing together in a small boat.  A large wave crashed over the side of the boat, partially filling it with water.
    "We are in mortal peril!" cried the first passenger and smashed a hole in the bottom of the boat forthwith.  "There," he said with satisfaction. "Now the water can get out the bottom, and the boat will not sink.  I have saved us all.  Thank me, thank me."
    "Now, just one cotton-pickin' minute!" objected the second traveler. "Poking that hole was a good idea.  Any rational person would have done the same thing.  But you were wrong not to consult with us first."
    "You're both wrong," declared the third traveler. "Sure, the hole is a good idea, but it isn't big enough to let out all that water.  In fact, there seems to be more now than there was before.  So we need to make it bigger."
    "I don't know about that," said the fourth traveler. "I think the hole was a bad idea.  Of course, now that it's there, we have to live with it."
    "You're all off base," said the fifth traveler. "The hole is basically a good idea, but it needs tweaking.  We need to get the best tools for making holes and smoothing the edges to make it more efficient.  Perhaps we should open a second hole.  We need a committee to examine the options."
    "Dang!" cried the sixth. "If we don't plug that damn thing and start bailing right now, we're going to drown!"
    "No no no!" cried the others. "That's radical and unrealistic.  The boat won't float without the hole."
    They were in agreement for a very short time.