“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci. Adopted by Steve Jobs.
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A Young Mouse went out looking for food and saw two new creatures.
Upon returning, he told his Mother, “I saw two creatures, the first, such a monster! He flapped his arms, scratched with his toes, and had red meat dangling from his neck! The other, a fine-looking creature with a thick coat of hair, and purring gracefully.”
His mother replied, “The first was a Cock, an awkward creature, but harmless to us, but, the second creature, though seeming sweet, is the Cat, and he will devour you and all of us!”
Moral of the Story: Appearances can be deceiving.
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Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
Related Articles: The Substance of Things – The Business of Aesop™ No. 33 – The Stag and His Reflection; Substance Over Form. No. 33. The Stag and His Reflection – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series; The Great Masquerade – Stand for America®
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Why We Loved It: Aesop reminds us that so much confusion and foolishness exists, because we have a common tendency to trust what we see and hear. It takes work to assess something deeply. We must actually read the book fairly to judge it, and judging by the cover (being what the book itself professes itself to be) is so much easier.
Moreover, deeper rivers tend to run more quietly, not necessarily finding a need to self-adorn. Indeed, when Jesus responded with “I AM,” he was testifying that superficial words were insufficient to define him, or to bind him—his substance being self-defined—and one could know him only by comprehending his essential substance.
Becoming wiser is the process of fulfilling that particular essential distinguishing characteristic of being human. Even a dog can love, and even a dog can think. But, to become wise is to fulfill that element of a human being that is unique among all living things. Aesop reminds us to do the work, and to determine what something really is, rather than assuming by convenience from its adornments or spinning sound-bites.
“And in much of your talking, thinking is half murdered. For thought is a bird of space, that in a cage of words may indeed unfold its wings but cannot fly.” ~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
“Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.” Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
“And I swear to you, Athenians, by the dog I swear!—for I must tell you the truth—the result of my mission was just this: I found that the men most in repute were all but the most foolish; and that others less esteemed were really wiser and better.” ~Socrates
“Things pass for what they seem, not for what they are. Only rarely do people look into them, and many are satisfied with appearances.” ~Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
“Do not judge by appearances. Judge righteously…Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like hidden graves over which people unknowingly walk, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous to others, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.” ~ONE®: The Unified Gospel of Jesus: 1365, 2229
“The Truth is a jokester, or a lier. For each time he comes to me in the exact appearance of my desire. I later discover that he wore a mask. The Truth laughs at me, and I am his fool. The more effort I expend to remove his mask, the more tightly he holds it. And then, for each layer of mask I remove, feeling accomplished and tired, I again discover that there is, even yet, another layer. And, The Truth laughs at me. And I am his fool. Again.” ~Gregg Zegarelli, The Great Masquerade
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© 2013 Arnold Zegarelli and Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn. Arnold Zegarelli can be contacted through Facebook.
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