The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn't see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back.
Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.
"Hellooo Mr. Frog!" called the scorpion across the water, "Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?"
"Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to kill me?" asked the frog hesitantly.
"Because," the scorpion replied, "If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!"
Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!"
"This is true," agreed the scorpion, "But then I wouldn't be able to get to the other side of the river!"
"Alright then...how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?" said the frog.
"Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!"
So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog's back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog's soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.
Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog's back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.
"You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?"
The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog's back.
"I could not help myself. It is my nature."
Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river.
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Early this morning, I went to fetch a child back to the Home. I had to do that because the child made a mistake - again. Each time it happen, the dad will be frustrated and thoughts of lodging a Beyond Parental Control complaint will linger in his mind. However, driven by love, he would see the consequences of the complaint and that'll be what I'll use to counter his lingering thoughts.
Later in the afternoon, I brought the child to the father and I told the father "I brought your child down personally for you to scold. So please do it." (I do this because I have to be very conscientious that the professionals do not take over the parenting role. I have to be very aware that the child's discipline is still their parents because that's whom they will live with in future. Not me. I am nothing but just a facilitator.) The father shared that he felt betrayed by his own child, who caused a drift between his wife and him. Despite the hurt the father faced, I could still see the love he has for his child. Despite wanting so much to lodge the BPC complaint, he decided to give the child a chance again - for almost the 10th time.
Now, when things were more cooled, that was when he shared the Aesop fable of the Scorpion and the Frog. I thought it was an apt analogy. Often, we forgot what it means to be playing a game from the same team. Easily, we subtly allowed jealousy, bitterness, temptations, etc, to seep in and cause a drift within the teammates. UNKNOWINGLY, we harm ourselves instead.
Frankly, wouldn't the world be a better place if we all choose to play our minimum part in the winning team? Working together towards a better life.
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