The Scorpion & the Turtle

A scorpion, being a very poor swimmer, asked a turtle to carry him on

his back across a river. "Are you mad?" exclaimed the turtle. "You'll

sting me while I'm swimming and I'll drown."

"My dear turtle," laughed the scorpion, "if I were to sting you, you

would drown and I would go down with you. Now where is the logic in

that?"

"You're right?" cried the turtle. "Hop on!" The scorpion climbed aboard

and halfway across the river gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they

both sank to the bottom, the turtle resignedly said:

"Do you mind if I ask you something? You said there'd be no logic in

your stinging me. Why did you do it?"

"It has nothing to do with logic," the drowning scorpion sadly replied.

"It's just in my nature."

In the last trembling moments of the turtle's existence, its life starts to

play back like a movie in fast-forward. As the movie reaches its last

frame, it freezes on the old adage "to try is to fail - not to try is to

surrender" as the river swallows both of them in an inevitable act of

nature and the soul of the turtle rejoins its creator.

Comments: - This story reflects the destructive behaviour of

living beings and illustrates how certain qualities can be very

hard to change, if not impossible. Thus, if we are to succeed in

life, we firstly must get to know ourselves - and be honest about

our inclinations, preferences, and limitations. And, secondly, in

working towards our goals should be considerate not hinder

others in theirs.