The Phantom Tollbooth

For any of you who haven't read The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, I recommend it. It's witty, charming, and clever. Also for any of you who haven't read it, I'll give a little background and actually quote the part that caused me to reflect on the activities of my days ...

A boy named Milo is on a quest to rescue a couple of princesses accompanied by a watchdog named Tock and a bug named Humbug. They have arrived into some mountains full of demons and have just had a very unpleasant encounter with one of the demons. Then (and I quote) "just ahead, leaning comfortably against a dead tree, stood a very elegant-looking gentleman.

"He was beautifully dressed in a dark suit with a well-pressed shirt and tie. His shoes were polished, his nails were clean, his hat was well brushed, and a white handkerchief adorned his breast pocket. But his expression was somewhat blank. In fact, it was completely blank, for he had neither eyes, nose, nor mouth.

"Hello, little boy," he said, amiably shaking Milo by the hand. "And how's the faithful dog?" he inquired, giving Tock three or four strong and friendly pats. "And who is this handsome creature?" he asked, tipping his hat to the very pleased Humbug. "I'm so happy to see you all."

"What a pleasant surprise to meet someone so nice," they all thought, "and especially here."

"I wonder if you could spare me a little of your time," he inquired politely, "and help with a few small jobs?"

"Why, of course," said the Humbug cheerfully.
"Gladly," added Tock.
"Yes, indeed," said Milo, who wondered for just a moment how it was possible for someone so agreeable to have a face with no features at all.

"Splendid," he said happily, "for there are just three tasks. Firstly, I would like to move this pile from here to there," he explained, pointing to an enormous mound of fine sand; "but I'm afraid that all I have are these tiny tweezers." And he gave them to Milo, who immediately began transporting one grain at a time.

"Secondly, I would like to empty this well and fill the other; but I have no bucket, so you'll have to use this eye dropper." And he handed it to Tock, who undertook at once to carry one drop at a time from well to well.

"And, lastly, I must have a hole through this cliff, and here is a needle to dig it." The eager Humbug quickly set to work picking at the solid granite wall.

When they had all been safely started, the very pleasant man returned to the tree and, leaning against it once more, continued to stare vacantly down the trail, while Milo, Tock and the Humbug worked hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after ------

... After what seemed like days ... Milo's new pile of sand was hardly a pile at all. ...

[With a magic wand Milo finds out that] ... at the rate they were working, it would take each of them eight hundred and thirty-seven years to finish.

"Pardon me, ... but it's going to take eight hundred and thirty-seven years to do these jobs."

"Is that so?" replied the man, without even turning around. "Well, you'd better get on with it then."

"But it hardly seems worthwhile," said Milo softly.
"WORTHWHILE!" the man roared indignantly.
"All I mean was that perhaps it isn't too important," Milo repeated, trying not to be impolite.
"Of course it's not important," he snarled angrily. "I wouldn't have asked you to do it if I thought it was important." And now, as he turned to face them, he didn't seem quite so pleasant. ...

"What could be more important that doing unimportant things? If you stop to do enough of them, you'll never get to where you're going." He punctuated his last remark with a villainous laugh. "I am the Terrible Trivium, demon of petty tasks and worthless jobs, ogre of wasted effort, and monster of habit."

... "But why do only unimportant things?" asked Milo, who suddenly remembered how much time he spent each day doing them.

"Think of all the trouble it saves," the man explained, and his face looked as if he'd be grinning an evil grin -- if he could grin at all. "If you only do the easy and useless jobs, you'll never have to worry about the important ones which are so difficult. You just won't have the time. For there's always something to do to keep you from what you really should be doing, and if it weren't for that dreadful magic stuff, you'd never know how much time you were wasting." (end of quote)

So after reading this portion of the book I paused to ponder:

Wherefore do ye ^aspend money for that which is not bread? and your ^blabour for that which satisfieth not?

How often do we help Satan with a "few small jobs" simply by not being at our original task of "rescuing the princesses" or in a sense, striving for exaltation? Why do we sometimes spend so much time doing the unimportant things, especially when they eternally can't satisfy?

I'll just leave my pondering at that and let you ponder the rest.