(A truth story) A scorpion was down by the riverbank looking for a way to cross. Up the bank within shouting distance was a turtle who was slowly crawling into the river. The scorpion yelled, "Hey, could you give me a lift across the river?" Somewhat incredulously, the turtle replied, "Hell no! I know you. You're a scorpion. You'll sting me and I’ll die." The scorpion, appealing to the naturally compassionate turtle stepped a bit closer and pleaded, "But be reasonable here, if I stung you, you'd go down and I'd die too! I give you my word of honor that I won't sting you." The turtle, wanting to believe the best about his stranded comrade, relented and the scorpion leapt up on his shell as they headed together out into the gently flowing river.
About halfway across, the scorpion began to dance nervously with increasing frenzy and finally, overcome with instincts, he arched his tail and jammed his stinger into the surprised turtle's neck. As the poison began its deadly mission, and as the turtle began to sink he turned in a final conscious moment and cried out to the scorpion - "Why did you sting me? You knew if you stung me we would both die! You gave me your word of honor, but now you've killed us both!"
The scorpion, adrenaline now fading, shrugged his claws and lamented, "I
know what I said, and that's really what I intended. But, I'm a scorpion...
it's my nature to sting." (fade to black)
One of our most destructive denials as humans is denying the nature of a thing. Whether it’s a wild animal thought to be domesticated, a fellow human, a politician, or an institution like the government, a bank, a credit card issuer… it is good to remember the nature of a thing. Twill keep you a mite more rational and possibly save your sanity.
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