“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci. Adopted by Steve Jobs.
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A Wolf came near to a flock of Sheep tended to by a young Shepherd.
The Shepherd watched closely guarding his Sheep. Yet, each day, the Wolf patiently came a bit closer, doing no harm, until the Shepherd trusted the Wolf.
Thereupon, having secured just enough of the Shepherd’s trust, the Wolf suggested that the Shepherd relax to allow the Wolf to share the burden of protecting the Sheep. After all, said the Wolf to the Shepherd, “I am just like my cousin, your long-time friend, the Dog.“
And, so it was that the Shepherd allowed the Wolf to tend to his flock. But, at the first chance, the Wolf carried off many of the Sheep as a prize for a fine dinner!
Moral of the Story: Evil cannot be trusted or forgotten. The eye of wisdom must be ever-vigilant, as fools are made in a blink.
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Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
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Why We Loved It: Without being overly dramatic regarding the title, we try to find what is different here than in other fables with regard to trust. [1]
Aesop often warns us, that to be a sage, great care must be taken before granting trust, as much of what is foolishness and wisdom is a function of trust—one way or another.
Here, the difference in the fable is that the Wolf is not only a metaphor for evil, but a metaphor for patient evil. This fable focuses on the incremental trust that is developed over time by the Wolf.
The Wolf takes his time, slowly and incrementally building trust. The Wolf is, in fact, a wise wolf—such as it is—demonstrating thoughtful restraint for his own immediate advantage, by predictions based upon a practical understanding of the context. The Wolf is disciplined [2], builds trust, then sells an advantage to the young Shepard, preying upon the Shepherd’s natural tendency to ease.
Here evil wins, because the Shepherd took his eye off of the ball for just one moment, and that is all the time that the Wolf needed. We remember that Hitler rose to the power without civil war, but by incremental democratic processes.
Wisdom is a cloak of protection for us, but not one that can be taken off at the door—it is protection that must always be worn and never released, even when wearing it is uncomfortable.
Aesop teaches that the eye of wisdom requires incessant and tireless vigilance—with everyone, and at all times—because fools are made in a blink.
“Oculus sapientiae semper vigilans debet esse, sicut stulti in ictu fiunt.“
[1] On Leadership and Trust. [And, Should We Trust the U.S. Government?] [#GRZ_160]
[2] Critical Thinking and the Conflation of Character, Integrity, Goodness and Virtue [#GRZ_148]
* “The eye of wisdom must be ever-vigilant, as fools are made in a blink.” * grz
© 2013 Arnold Zegarelli and Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn. Arnold Zegarelli can be contacted through Facebook.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/patience-latent-evil-46-wolf-shepherd-essential-zegarelli-esq-
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