a Persian folk character, Nasrudin, was seen by his neighbor inspecting the ground outside his doorway. “What are you looking for?” asked Nasrudin’s neighbor. “I lost my ring,” he answered.
“Is this where you dropped your ring?” the neighbor asked. “No, in my bedroom,” Nasrudin replied.
“Then why are we searching for it out here?” asked his neighbor. “Because,” Nasrudin explained, “there is much more light out here.”
no exegesis here. the whimsy of the retelling is enough.