The Balloonist’s Dilemma

A hot air balloonist realized he was lost. He lowered his altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. He shouted, “Excuse me, can you help me out? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”

The man in the boat consulted his portable GPS and replied, “You’re in a hot air balloon approximately 30 feet over a ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.”

The balloonist rolled his eyes and said, “You must be an engineer.”

“Yes, I am,” replied the man. “How did you know?”

“Well,” answered the balloonist, “Everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information and I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help to me.”

The man smiled and responded, “You must be a manager.”

“I am,” replied the balloonist. “How did you know?”

“Well,” said the man, “you don’t know where you are or where you’re going. You’ve risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. Plus, you’re in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow now it’s my fault!”