COMMITTEES : DO THEY EVER LISTEN TO SOUND ADVICE ?............... ( A nearly true story by Bridgemeister Gibson )

Water Anyone?

After a crash landing in the Sahara desert the surviving air passengers , all committee members of the same club , soon found themselves in desperate need for water.  After wandering around for days in aimless disarray ,  the chairman saw something, far off in the distance. Hoping to find water, they walked towards the image, only to find a little old man sitting at a card table with a bunch of neckties laid out on it.
Then one of the committee spoke to him :  "Please,…. we’re all dying of thirst.  We desperately need some water?"
The man replied "I don't have any water to sell, but you should all buy a tie instead. There is enough here for everyone. Please allow me to explain why…..
The chairman immediately cut him short and shouted back : "Listen you idiot, We need water……not a load of bloody useless ties. Why on God’s earth do we need ties when we’re sweltering to death underneath this red hot sun ? "
Unperturbed by this vitriolic outburst the man politely replied :  " Yes , it’s your choice not to do as I suggest, or  not to hear what I have to say. But what I can tell you is this ….....over there on the other side of those massive sand dunes , about 4 miles away, is a very exclusive private members’ club. Walk that way, and you will see that this place has all the water and liquid refreshment you want."
The chairman thanked him with an air of contempt , and straightaway the party slowly but surely headed off to find their salvation , eventually disappearing from sight.
But eight hours later the same bedraggled lot ,  all close to dying from dehydration  ,  came crawling back to where the man was sitting behind his card table. “ Didn’t you find the place I told you about ? "
The Chairman looked up at him, with just about enough strength to say a few departing words, as the shadow of the grim reaper loomed menacingly over him : " Oh yes , we found it alright, but the bastards wouldn't let us in without a tie."

( And so the moral of this tale is clear :  committees have an unfortunate habit of believing that they know what course of action is best , never willing or prepared to take on board the advice of outsiders , who happen to be in a far more knowledgeable position than them. )