Man in the Box

Man in the Box
by Gabe Redel


A man was in a small box.
It wasn’t small as if it were
for a blender or a toaster.
It was small for a world,
and he was doing his best
to use the resources and knowledge
that he had within his grasp
to work his way out of the box.

One day, he did it.
And what he found himself in
after stepping out
was another box.
This new box was slightly larger
than the last,
but it had different resources
and knowledge
inside of it.

The man worked once again
to use what he had available
to work his way out of that box.
It took a little longer,
but eventually he did it
and was soon stepping
into something new.

This time, he stepped once again
into another box.
This box was even larger than the last
and it as well carried
a different set of resources
and knowledge.

The man did the same.
He worked his way out.
And that’s how his life continued.
He found himself in one box
only to work his way into a slightly bigger box.

Along the way he found a wife
and together they had a family.
He raised the children
all the while working his way out of box after box.

Toward the end of his life
he believed that he had finally discovered
the last box that he, his children,
and all of humanity
would ever have to try and crack.
He set his tools down
and prepared to step out of the final and biggest box.

Once he saw what was on the other side,
he knew that his journey had come to an end,
but his children would have to pick up
where he would have to leave off.

This new place was no box,
but it was the biggest environment
he had ever come to understand.
It was called Earth
and he and his children discovered
that Earth was far greater
than he could ever have imagined.

No end was in sight.
No walls surrounded him.
Only endless possibilities
for his children
and all of humanity to discover.

For some,
this was terrible news.
They only wanted answers and finishes.
For others,
it was the best news of their lives.
For they now realized
how breathtaking and complicated
life actually was.