“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci (Adopted by Steve Jobs)
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A Man came upon some Trees one day.
He begged them to give him just a small branch for his tools, and the Trees, feeling some pity for the Man, finally succumbed to his request.
Such as it was, the Man whittled a handle, which he fixed upon an axe head. He soon set to work by cutting down tree after tree.
The Trees saw how foolish they had been in giving their enemy the means of destroying themselves, but, alas, it was too late.
Moral of the Story: We must remain vigilant and wise to the purpose for which we supply our assistance to others. Pity is always noble, but only sometimes wise.
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Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
Related Articles: Dilemmas, and The Devil We Know – No. 80. The Fox, Mosquito and Hedgehog – 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; Wisdom v. Compassion, Or, the Elizabeth Smart Prediction – No. 60. The Woodsman and Serpent – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series; The Essential Aesop: Epilogue; The Folly of Love – No. 85. The Lion in Love; Trust by Tendency and Prediction – No. 36. The Wolf and the Sheep – The Essential Aesop™; Think Ahead. The Thing From The Seed. – No. 57. The Swallow and Other Birds – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series
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Why We Loved It: This fable is similar to the No. 57. The Swallow and Other Birds. The difference in this fable is the Trees are providing the means for their own destruction.
In No. 57. The Swallow and Other Birds, the birds failed to heed the warning and to do the work to protect themselves by eating up the hemp seeds; they were too consumed with the moment in eating tasty other seeds. In No. 101. The Porcupine and the Cave, the animals welcomed the Porcupine to move into the cave, again failing to heed the warning. In No. 60. The Woodsman and Serpent (“The Elizabeth Smart Prediction”) the charitable do-gooder was a fool for not seeing the risk presented.
Thusly, Aesop plays on the same theme, using different contexts: think ahead, with clarity of thought. Wisdom is nothing but thinking ahead.
And, for all the nobility that emotions may bring to the World—all the pity, empathy, mercy and other such noble things—like it or not, prefer it or not, they are only proper in the context as Ruler Wisdom determines. Such as it is, the captain Wisdom must rudder the vessel by using the Emotion wind, lest the vessel capsize by being overtaken.
As was said 2,000 years ago by Aesop’s later student, Socrates, by the hand of Plato in The Republic: the King rules, the Army implements, but, if the King (Wisdom) cannot make wise judgments, or if the Army (Emotion) refuses or usurps the King’s authority, then the state is in chaotic disharmony. Such as it is for states, such as it is for men. Such as it is for men, such as it is for states.
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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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