Aesop's Fable Friday
The Blind Man and the Cub
There was once a Blind Man who had so fine a sense of touch that, when any animal was put into his hands, he could tell what it was merely by the feel of it.
One day the Cub of a Wolf was put into his hands, and he was asked what it was.
He felt it for some time, and then said, "Indeed, I am not sure whether it is a Wolf's Cub or a Fox's: but this I know - - it would never do to trust it in a sheepfold."
Moral of the Story: Evil tendencies are early shown.
I'm beat. Everything finally got cleaned up and I have my house back to normal. Yippee!! We got through the first week back to school since the holidays and although it was not perfect it's done, too. Hope everyone is getting back into the swing of things.
posted by Grizzly Mama | 23:15
14 Comments:
Moral of the Story: Evil tendencies are early shown.
When a kid takes delight in setting cats on fire, and shows a pattern of abnormal behavior, you better keep a close eye on possibly the next Ted Bundy or Jeff Dahmer.
I do believe that there are some people who are wired differently; that there's a meanness in this world, and that some people are natural born killers who can't help but be what they are.
I took an upper division elective that was the closest thing UCLA had to a criminology course. And we read one book on career criminals. One of the points the author argued on, was how parents are often blamed for a kid gone bad. That they were too hard, or not hard enough. But what the child "experts" and psychiatrists fail to acknowledge or take into account is how others in the family turned out well-adjusted; that out of the bunch, this was the bad apple; and the bad apple has been rotten, right from the very beginning.
The experts want to lay all the blame on external environmental factors. But that exonerates the career criminal from personal responsibility. The expert will say, "That kid just fell into a bad crowd." No: in the case of those who grow up to be violent career criminals, it was the kid who chose to associate with that crowd, because he found their lifestyle and what they were doing to be far more exciting.
Nope, we're still in post-holiday chaos. I have this weekend off, so maybe we'll start tackling the mess. I HATE getting "back to normal" after the holidays! :(
I believe as Wordsmith does; some people are simply born wrong. I've seen examples of this; children of good parents where all the siblings grew up with personal morals and a feeling of responsibility, and a work ethic, and one "lone wolf" who rebelled against everyone and everything. In one instance that "lone wolf" died of an overdose at a very early age.
Happy New Year, Monica! Many blessings to you and yours. :)
Wordsmith, the old nature vs. nurture debate. It's got to be a bit of both. Having 2 kids though, I can tell you that they were born who they are, their personalities were there at birth. Coming from a rough family myself, and knowing many people who had it rough growing up, I always wondered what is that difference in the people who end up okay and the ones that don't.
In many families I have noticed that one or two kids get targeted for abuse, while the other kids come away fairly unscathed. (not totally unscathed..) Once a person who survives an abusive childhood reaches adulthood, there are choices to be made. Either you heal or you refuse to heal. If a person refuses to heal and is a detriment to themselves or others, all gloves come off.
I don't know the answer. I do know that kids who are firebugs and/or enjoy killing small animals - these behaviors are red flags for certain. I believe that there is such a thing as evil, we live in a world where lots of evil occurs. The only evidence of God (for me) is the good that is also present in this world. There is a lot of good in this world.
Tshsmom - it is one of my least favorite chores. It will feel better when it's all said and done.
Thank you Gayle. I hope that everything goes smoothly for you in the coming year. I have noticed the phenomenon that you mention as far as the 'lone wolf' is concerned. *I* am the 'lone wolf' in my family of origin. lol! I'm bad - I'm terrible! I escaped and live thousands of miles away from the insanity. My life is calm for the most part. Whew! I am enjoying relaxing now..;-)
"all gloves come off."
Did I really type that? LOL! I guess I meant to say either 'the gloves come off' OR 'all bets are off'.
I'm so totally exhausted...
the old nature vs. nurture debate. It's got to be a bit of both.
I'd say in general, it's a little of both, for everyone. Environment and exposure to experience has to shape who you are.
And sometimes, it's those experiences that are the catalyst to set off what is already inside of you. I think how we are innately, for the most part, determines how you respond and interpret our external environment.
So yes, sometimes villains who were abused might otherwise have been heroes, had they been nurtured differently.
And then there are the Ted Bundys and Jeffrey Dahmers, who, if I remember correctly, had privileged backgrounds and/or a nurturing family life growing up. They couldn't have asked for better. There was just something wrong with them inside.
My Dad is the eldest of 8 siblings. Grampa was a notorious smoker and drinker. My dad grew up to be neither, seeing what those things did to my grampa. His younger brothers however, smoked and drank too much. So what was different? For the most part, I think they experienced the same upbringing. I don't know how differently they were treated. But I suspect a lot of it still comes down to who you are in your purest form. That your natural being helps determine how you perceive and interpret your experiences. Do they influence and shape you for the better or for the worse? It has to do with who you are, by nature.
And it goes back to taking personally responsibility, ultimately, for who you are and for what your actions are, rather than blaming the world for your actions.
And that's not to say that blame and credit can't also be shared by other factors.
I knew some kids growing up who liked to do evil things to animals, wonder what they're up to now. Nice story!
The blind man couldn't tell the difference between a fox and a wolf?
So much for heightened senses.
:)
I suppose a fox would still be a problem in a sheep fold... especially around the young.
Unfortunately as Liberals are wont to project their fantasies on others and deceive themselves with visions of a rainbow-sparkly world of fluffy bunnies and campfire songs, they also project the difficult problems inherent in each of us onto external sources. Doing that gets rid of the problem from within, and by such it's a means of removing personal responsibility from the mix and avoiding the consequences of our actions.
No consequences means no morality, which is a giddily liberating thought-feeling. Emotion is transposed and confused with an objective, external reality of up and down-left and right, for those who "feel oppressed" by the tyranny of other people's rational judgments - that there is Good or Bad, or a right way and a wrong way.
Amorality is what's celebrated when the scorpion stings and kills the frog that carried him across the water, "because it's in his Nature," because Nature and the natural world is amoral - it doesn't care, it just is.
I hope you are feeling better and not so exhausted by now, Monica. :)
Thanks guys - - and gals!
So true for the most part.
Glad to hear you are back in the groove - as hard as that is I know!
Have a great week!
Post a Comment
<< Home