Like the Old Man on His Island

An old man lived his entire life on a beautiful island. For decades, he walked the same paths, saw the same sunsets, breathed the same ocean air. The island was renowned worldwide for its stunning beauty. Travelers journeyed thousands of miles just to glimpse what he saw every day.

But the old man never really looked. He didn’t care.

Only at the end of his life, when visitors spoke of his island's fame, did he finally understand. If he had known how famous this island was, he reflected with deep sadness, he would have looked at it.

Anthony de Mello, the beloved spiritual teacher whose parables illuminated the human condition, shared this story in his teachings on awareness. We live surrounded by wonders we never see.