A New York banker was disgusted to find a bum lying on his favorite lunchtime bench in Central Park.

"Why don't you get yourself a job?" demanded the banker; and the bum replied, "Why would I want to do that?"

"If you get a job," said the banker, "you can start to improve yourself, get some education, and get promoted in the company." And the bum replied, "Why would I want to do that?"

"If you get promoted," said the banker, warming to his theme, "you'll rise through the ranks and end up running the company." And the bum replied, "Why would I want to do that?"

"If you run your own company," said the banker patiently, "you'll make so much money you can leave and start your own company." And the bum replied, "Why would I want to do that?"

"Well," said the banker, "if you start your own company and do well, eventually you'll be able to make your pile, retire, and do nothing."

The bum replied:

"I'm doing nothing already."

Meditators are -- in a way -- incipient bums. Step 11 practice shows us that there really isn't very much point to all the rushing around that seems a necessary part of our work lives. The attractive part of meditation is to see the futility of much of our work environment. The danger, of course, is that we may start to believe what we see. At that point, we may begin to question some very fundamental parts of our way of life ....

See you on the bench!