Tantalus was a legendary Grecian king who is said to have displeased the
gods. As punishment he was condemned to dwell by a pool, the waters of
which receded when he attempted to drink from them, and to dwell just out
of reach of an abundance of overhanging fruit.
Tantalus lives in many of us today. His pool of water and evasive food
supply are like the visions which fade before we reach them or the hopes
that burst like bubbles before they are realized. They are like the mirage
that leads the traveler across the desert and fades before he has quenched
his thirst at its promised springs. They resemble the summer flower that
falls to pieces before one can lay hands upon it.
Yet these unrealized hopes are among the most valuable experiences we
have. The traveler on the desert may not reach his palm-sheltered spring,
but he often approaches nearer to the end of his journey for having
followed its image. In life we do not always get what we seek, but we
often find that in what seemed an hour of failure we have achieved
real progress.
At maturity one often finds that the joys he sought in youth are only
empty husks after having been so laboriously obtained. It may seem tragic
that the name and place to which he early aspired lose so much of their
appeal when they have been attained. The effort spent on the upward climb
has not been in vain, however. In the struggle his ideals have lifted.
He is no longer satisfied with the superficial and the unreal.
We plan endeavors and strive to successfully complete them. Sometimes we
succeed, but often we fail. When we fail in a righteous cause the labor
has not necessarily been in vain. One can never be robbed of the best
fruit of his striving, which is the added sinew of strength gained in
the trying.