This is a great story that I heard through a friend, who apparently heard it on The West Wing. As the Chinese Whisper Effect usually occurs in such situations, he altered it slightly and so have I; it might not be exactly the same story, but the meaning is still there. With The West Wing being as popular as it is, this story might already have been noded. In any case, this story pretty much summarises what friendship means to me.
One day, a man is walking along when he suddenly falls into a deep
hole in the ground. After realising that he can't get out, the man begins calling for help.
Soon, a
doctor walks past and the man yells, "Doctor! I'm stuck in this hole, can you help me get out?" So the doctor smiles and writes out a
prescription, dropping it into the hole. Then he goes, leaving the man exactly where he found him.
Later, a
priest comes by and the man shouts to him, "
Father! I'm stuck in this hole, can you help me?" So the priest stops and says a
prayer for the man. Then he goes, leaving the man exactly where he found him.
Then one of the man's
friends comes walking past the hole. "Hey Joe!" calls the
desperate man, "Can you help me get out of this hole?" So the friend jumps down into the hole and lands next to the other man.
"What did you do that for?" the man asks. "Now we're both stuck in this hole!"
"Yes," replies the friend, "But
I've been down here before and I know
the way out."