I want to tell you a story, a story about a man who was about to launch out in his brand new boat. It was a real nice boat and the man had gotten it for a real good price. Unfortunately, the new sailor had failed to take any safe boating courses or even a read a boating manual before getting underway. You know what is real funny about that? It's the fact that during the transaction process of purchasing the boat and bragging to all of his friends and co-workers about his new "toy", that a number of those individuals offered to teach him boat handling basics. "No way man, I don't need anyone telling me how to do anything - I'm a self-made man and I'll learn as I go."
No matter how much his friends tried to offer their help - only because they were extremely concerned for his safety and wellbeing, the man just would not listen to them. In fact, he started lashing out at them, he resented the fact that his so called "friends" were trying to push "stuff" on him all of the time. The man grew very bitter and eventually lost his relationship with those closest to him.
One day as the man began to get his vessel underway, a stranger standing on the dock began to yell out to him. The stranger was saying something about the man's boat listing slightly - but what did that guy know? As another vessel was approaching the harbor and began passing the man and his listing vessel in the opposite direction, the man at the helm of the other vessel yelled out "You better put on your life-jacket man, it's pretty rough out their in the bay!" Our "hero" totally ignored that warning also. "Everyone just has to be in my business. Why don't those nosey creepy people just leave me alone?"
A few hours later, after navigating far out into the bay, away from all of the other boats, the new boat began to sink quickly. In just a few minutes time, the man found himself thrashing about in the water trying to keep his head above the surface. About fifteen minutes later, a rescue vessel arrived on scene, apparently a concerned boater had called the Coast Guard to give them a "heads up" about the listing vessel as it departed the harbor. "It looks like we made it out here just in time." yelled the eager young Coast Guardsman.
"What do you mean stupid?" replied the man with a scowl as he continued to tread water. "I don't need your help. Get away from me right now!" the man screamed out.
"But sir, if we leave you - you will drown…" replied the confused rescuer.
"Listen young man, I know exactly what I'm doing and I don't need anyone telling me that I don't. Go away right now and leave me alone you pushy, judgmental, self-righteous bum. You're probably just hoping that if I allow you to put me in your boat that I'll give you some money or start following your rules or something, no sir - I'm not that stupid, you just go on now."
"Ok sir, we will do as you say - good luck." replied the Coast Guardsman who quickly turned and whispered to the helmsman to just take the boat away very, very slowly and to not get too far from the drowning man.Treading water got more and more difficult for the man. Every muscle in his body was becoming exhausted and totally depleted of energy. Eventually he was totally unable to move his limbs and he began to quickly sink toward the bottom of the bay. Right before he was about to have his lungs fill with water, the man thought to himself "See, there really is no God - if there was, He would have never let me go out on the water today, or - He would have just reached down and pulled me from the water. And what about warning signs, how come He couldn't bother to warn me about this impending doom? I've been right all along, there is NO God!" Everything went black and the man succumbed to the water.
It was a real good thing that the Coast Guard vessel and crew were still close at hand. Immediately after the man began to sink, one of the crewmembers dove into the water and after reaching the man, pulled him to the surface. His body was quickly loaded onto the rescue craft and the crew immediately began CPR. Luckily for the man, he was revived.
"I thought I told you guys to leave me alone!" yelled the man as water spurted from his mouth and nostrils.
"But sir, you were drowning." replied the youngest Coast Guardsman.
"Well I wasn't and all of you are going to be very sorry for what you have done to me! I'm going to make sure that your life is hell from now one. There is no way I'm going to let you do "this" to anyone else!"
The crew of the vessel moved away from the man and began to prepare their vessel for its return voyage back to shore. They were confused and they were hurt. None of them could figure out why the man reacted so negatively to their earnest attempts to save his life. They had each made sacrifices to serve in the Coast Guard and to save lives, including his - things just didn't make sense to them.
