A scorpion asked a frog to carry him from one river bank to another.
-What if you sting me? asked the frog. It’s too big a risk.
-Don’t be silly, toad! How can I sting you? I know we’d both sink if I did.
The frog took him on his back so the water would pass him by. But in the middle, the scorpion stung it to death. Before he went deeper into the river, the frog asked him why he had stung him.
And the scorpion replied that that was his way, he couldn’t help it.
It’s a fable I think of when I see how people sometimes behave. It happens that you help them, support them several times, give them a helping hand in various situations, and they turn against you without scruples.
You would think that someone would have no reason to throw rubbish at a person who has repeatedly done them good.
And yes, I know, you’ll say it’s wrong to have expectations. I’m all for not having the expectation of getting something in return. But maybe it’s only human to expect not to receive nasty behavior, like a punch in the face, a kick in the back.
Such situations happen in both personal and professional life. Sooner or later, people show their face, their principles or lack of them.
“Chassez le naturel, il revient au galop”, the French say. In Romanian we say that the wolf changes its hair, but not its temperament.
All we can hope for is that mankind is increasingly differentiating itself from the scorpion in the fable. Or we could discreetly avoid scorpions. Or accept them as they are, knowing that if we get too close, we pay dearly.
If you were the frog, what would you do?