“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci. Adopted by Steve Jobs.
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A Fox got his tail caught in a bush, and he could not move.
A number of Mosquitoes, seeing the vulnerable Fox, settled upon him and enjoyed a good meal.
A sympathetic Hedgehog passing by and feeling sorry for the Fox, reacted immediately to the Fox’s terrible situation, kindly offering, “Mr. Fox, shall I fix this problem and relieve you of those blood-suckers?”
“No, no thank you very much, Master Hedgehog,” said the clever Fox, “if you should drive these away, many other new ones will come with a new appetite.”
Moral of the Story: Better to endure the evil you know you can withstand, for each change or intended fix brings its own risk. Think it through rationally, as emotions do not give good counsel. There is no good choice for the horns of a dilemma, only a better one.
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Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
Related Article: Nature Conforms Action – No. 50. The Scorpion and the Frog – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series; Thinking It Through, Or, Seeing the Thing from the Seed – No. 101. The Porcupine and the Cave – The Essential Aesop™-Back to Basics Abridgment Series
Hiring on Hope – The Business of Aesop™ No. 90 – The Cat-Maiden; The Essential Aesop: Epilogue; Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death! – Abridgment Series
Why We Loved It: This is one of the favorites, and reduces to the essential purpose of wisdom itself: prediction. Wisdom is all about tendencies and predictions, as explained in The Wolf and the Sheep [1] and The Scorpion and the Frog. [2]
Aesop’s lesson reminds us to think it through. We must understand tendencies, and we must clearly see the consequences that naturally result. Here the trapped often-clever Fox was wise to endure his current pain, and the seemingly goodly—but self-interested—Hedgehog offered a current solution that was long-term foolish for the Fox.
When confronted with the “horns of a dilemma,” a decision must be made and there is no escaping pain either way, and both ways provide a basis for second-guessing. When confronted with the horns of dilemma as a fiduciary for others, which implicates much of leadership, there is no escaping criticism, because either choice will adduce pain.
As taught by the fable, the wise person understands some pain now, or more pain later. But the pain comes either way. [3] Foolish leaders don’t see the pain later, being the blind leaders. [4] An effective leader is able to sell endurance for the long-term decision, so that people are able to support the decision from the dilemma. This is particularly necessary for the leader within the context of self-interested contradictory social rhetoric. [5]
[1] Trust, by Tendency and Prediction. No. 36. The Wolf and the Sheep – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [#GRZ_98_36] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_36]
[2] Nature Conforms Action – No. 50. The Scorpion and the Frog – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZUID98_50] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_50]
[3] The Two Doors of Life: Pleasure and Pain; The One-Two Choice, Say Sages Aesop, Gracian, Jesus and Socrates [GRZUID136] [LinkedIn #GRZ_136]
[4] The ONE LinkedIn Reference Set [#GRZ_183] [LinkedIn #GRZ_183] 3.1 ONE: 1325 [T15:14] (“Blind Lead Blind-Ditch“)
[5] Leadership, and Dealing in Hope; Or, What is Hope? [GRZUID128] [LinkedIn #GRZ_128]
“Dilemma non habet bonam electionem, sed tantum meliorem.” (“A dilemma does not have a good choice, but only a better one.”) ~ grz
© 2013 Arnold Zegarelli and Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn. Arnold Zegarelli can be contacted through Facebook.
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