“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci. Adopted by Steve Jobs.
A Shepherd Boy was bored and found his job of tending to the village Sheep very dull. So, to create some excitement, the Boy cried, “Wolf!, Wolf!” knowing that the villagers would come running.
And, indeed, when the Villagers heard the Boy’s cry for help, they came running. But, alas, there was no wolf. The Boy laughed for the trick, saying, “It was just a joke!” angering the Villagers.
A few days later, the Boy played the trick again, with exactly the same result.
Then, one day soon after, a snarling pack of Wolves really did come upon the Boy and the Sheep. Terrified, the Boy called to the Villagers, “Wolf!, Wolf!”
But, the Villagers said to each other, “He cannot trick us again!” And, so they ignored the Boy.
The pack of Wolves then killed a great many of the Sheep. And when the Villagers finally did come, they found the Boy in a tree shivering and crying, with the destruction of their village investment.
Moral of the Story: Those who lie cannot be trusted. Integrity is reliability, reliability is words matched to truth.
Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
Why We Loved It: This fable is one of Aesop’s most famous fables, the title becoming part of the vernacular of many cultures. It is the origin of the phrase, “crying wolf,” “to cry wolf” and similar phrases.
To “cry wolf” means to say something false now at the risk or consequence of not being believed later.
Aesop could use many characters to make his point. But, such as in The Boy and the Frogs [1], Aesop uses his Boy, denoting subtlety an immaturity in his character. Alas, the “funny” antics of immature child’s play, often viewed on social media posts by adults.
But, here, Aesop ups the ante by making the Boy—a shepherd—a fiduciary. [2] Thus, the context is more than the Boy playing pureil bothersome inconvenient tricks on family and friends, but rather the failure of shepherd’s duty to the Sheep and a failure of a Shepherd’s duty to the Villagers.
The Villagers trusted the Shepherd Boy and relied upon the Shepherd Boy’s integrity. As expressed in The Duty of Trust:
If we did not already get the lesson as children, we were going to get it now as presumptive future lawyers: a lesson in the role of being a trustee. That is, the duty of caring for another’s property.
Trust is a very big deal. The reason is quite simple: by its very nature, trust implies vulnerability. Trust = Vulnerability.
Maybe it’s money. Maybe it’s marriage. Maybe it’s a life. Maybe it’s a role at work. Whatever. Trust is everywhere. In fact, trust is so ubiquitously implied, that we fail to take notice of it.
Trust = Vulnerability.
What we come to learn later, if we did not already know it, is that the duty of the trustee is greater than the interest in self. We are entitled to lose our own money, we are entitled to give away our own money, or even perhaps to risk or to lose our own life, but that does not mean we can do the same thing with something with which we are entrusted.
A trustee is performing a service, and the trustee must remember and appreciate that the other person, for the trust, is vulnerable.
Vulnerable. [*2]
Aesop teaches a lot about trust for good reason [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14]: Trust is a tie that binds—or would bind—human beings.
But that’s only the part of it, and not necessarily the best part…although not necessarily the worst part either. Like Love, Trust can be as beautiful as it can be ugly. [15] For this reason Trust is not a Cardinal Virtue, but rather in the nature of a Noble Emotion, because it is not self-contained, but is inherently reliant upon context. [*4]
Trust is not a simple and elemental concept, but rather a complex and compound concept. Trust may be in the beholder, but integrity is in the beheld. [*12, *13, *14] The Wisdom of Trust is a function of context and object.
Behold that Trust is only one single member of a larger group that is bound in concept: Prayer, Faith, Belief, Trust, and Hope. [16] Each of these is different, but all similarly implicate: i) time (being the future); ii) necessarily a non-fact often assumed as-if true; iii) desire for an object; and iv) vulnerability or reliance regarding achievement of the desired object. These five may be coined as, “The Fool’s Five,” not because they are always foolish, but rather because they bait foolishness; that is, each is a fool’s bait.
Each of the Fool’s Five contains an element of desire, being an emotion, as explained in Leadership, and Dealing in Hope. [*5] Generally speaking, the more a human being relies upon any of the Fool’s Five, the more there is an implicit admission of vulnerability. [17, 18] Thus the adage, “Spes est ultimum refugium victimae.” (“Hope is the last refuge of the victim.”) It is not per se wrong to pray, have faith, believe, trust or hope, but rather it depends.
Luck is every-present [19], but, as a matter of Wisdom, whether any of the Fool’s Five result in foolishness is a function of rationally assessing the object into which each of the Fool’s Five is placed.
Perhaps the easiest justification throughout the time of human existence is the concept of “god” as a perfect trustee, which allows a theist to assume the perfect wisdom of Prayer; that is god (or the gods) never fails. Less so for Faith that is not necessarily tied to a deity, and Belief that is abstract, and Trust that is the reliance itself, and Hope that is usual common resultant state of mind. But the critical analysis is not where each of the Fool’s Five are different but where and how they each intersect.
As to the immature Boy Shepherd, he lacked integrity (discipline) [*13] for his role. He lacked veracity and reliability. Aesop tells us the Shepherd Boy “was bored and found his job of tending to the village Sheep very dull.“ This is the application of discipline and integrity to task. [*13] It’s not about having fun [20], but rather about understanding our role, our duty, and doing it. [21, 22, 23] The lesson is pervasive for excellent business service, reminding us to match our words to action: “I will deliver on Tuesday,” “I will call you back,” “The check is in the mail.” “Right, Frank said it will get delivered by end of week, but he’s said that before. He’s always crying wolf!” The Shepherd Boy should have implemented the simple Jesusian rule: Let Yes mean Yes. [24, 25]
And we should not miss the rare implicit lesson in this fable: The Villagers were fools. They Trusted the Shepherd Boy, placing him into service, and, by application of Hope, allowed him to stay there notwithstanding evidence of his incompetency. The Boy started the foolishness, but the Villagers perfected it.
The Boy was incompetent, but so were the Villagers, and everyone was injured. Well, almost everyone. Such as it tends to be, the Wolves were rather happy for it all. [26]
[1] Respect, Mercy; Or Sensitive Thoughtfulness- No. 107. The Boy and the Frogs – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_107] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_107]
[2] The Duty of Trust – Stand for America® [GRZ50] [LinkedIn #GRZ_50]
[3] Choosing Partners – No. 48. The Two Pots – The Essential Aesop™ – Trusting Fine Promises – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_48] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_48]
[4] Hope, Prayer, Trust and Reliance Upon Luck; Or, the Ignoble Handouts Oft by Noble Emotions [GRZ137] [LinkedIn #GRZ_137]
[5] Leadership, and Dealing in Hope; Or, What is Hope? [GRZ128] [LinkedIn #GRZ_128]
[6] Self-Power. Prayer, Hope and Luck. Or, Just Do It. – No. 77. Hercules and the Waggoner – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_77] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_77]
[7] Entrepreneurial Hope, and Lust for Smart Love [#GRZ_65] [LinkedIn #GRZ_65]
[8] Hiring on Hope – The Business of Aesop™ No. 90 – The Cat-Maiden [#GRZ_98_90]
[9] Trust, but Verify; or, Vigilance for the Trap – No. 86. The Lion, Fox and Beasts – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_86][LinkedIn #GRZ_98_86]
[10] Trust, by Tendency and Prediction. No. 36. The Wolf and the Sheep – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_36] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_36]
[11] Jesus and the (Other) Greatest Commandment [GRZ16] [LinkedIn #GRZ_13]
[12] Trusting the People, Trusting the Deal – The Business of Aesop™ No. 13 – The Wolf and the Crane [GRZ53] [LinkedIn #GRZ_53]
[13] Critical Thinking and the Conflation of Character, Integrity, Goodness and Virtue [GRZ148] [LinkedIn #GRZ_148]
[14] On Leadership and Trust. [And, Should We Trust the U.S. Government?] [GRZ160] [LinkedIn #GRZ_160]
[15] The Truth. Hard to Handle, Even Harder to Swallow. [GRZ178] [LinkedIn #GRZ_178]
[16] The Proseuché (The Prayer of Socrates) Ch. IX [Hope] [GRZ157] [LinkedIn #GRZ_157]
[17] On Empathy: To Give Empathy Is a Blessing; To Need Empathy Is a Curse [GRZ106] [LinkedIn #GRZ_106]
[19] On Wisdom and Luck; Or, Getting Lucky is not the Same as Being Wise [GRZ155] [LinkedIn #GRZ_155]
[20] Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator. Or, Quit Crying Like a Baby and Do Your Job [GRZ150] [Linked #GRZ_150]
[21] Are You Running With Your Shoes Untied? – Or, the Despise of Failure by Self-Inflicted Wounds [GRZ208] [LinkedIn #GRZ_208]
[22] The Priest-Patton Scale; Or, Objective-Based Leadership [GRZ162] [LinkedIn #GRZ_162]
[23] The Lincoln Leadership Dilemma; Or, The Primary Objective [GRZ176] [LinkedIn #GRZ_176]
[24] The ONE LinkedIn Reference Set [GRZ183] [LinkedIn #GRZ_183] ONE: 520 [T5:33] (“Oaths“)
[25] Jesus and the (Other) Greatest Commandment [GRZ16] [LinkedIn #GRZ_16]
[26] Epilogue: On the Wisdom of Aesop – AI calls “Zegarelli Essential 15” [GRZ24] [LinkedIn #GRZ_24]
ChatGPT Review
Gregg Zegarelli’s updated rendition of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf – Integrity and Reliability – No. 16” transforms the classic Aesop fable into a rich commentary on the structural and moral dimensions of trust, fiduciary duty, and the complex emotional logic behind human reliance. Here’s a breakdown of its pedagogy, philosophical ethos, and layered conclusions:
🧭 PEDAGOGICAL METHOD
1. Classic Story as Ethical Springboard
Zegarelli does not merely retell the fable. He uses it as a case study in professional ethics and systemic trust breakdown, moving from simple childlike mischief to mature civic consequence.
- The Boy is not just a prankster — he is a fiduciary.
- The Villagers are not just gullible — they are institutional enablers.
- The Wolves are not just dangerous — they are the inevitable opportunistic threat waiting in the wings of failed duty.
This frames the story as a lesson in fiduciary integrity and systemic trust management, not child discipline alone.
🧠 PHILOSOPHICAL ETHOS
2. Trust as Vulnerability
Zegarelli reframes Trust = Vulnerability, asserting that entrusting another is inherently an act of exposure. The Boy betrays this, and the Villagers exacerbate it by:
- continuing to rely on him after clear warning signs,
- failing to act as guardians of institutional integrity.
This develops his “Duty of the Trustee” doctrine: you may risk yourself, but not what others entrust to you.
3. The Fool’s Five Framework
Zegarelli aligns Trust with its epistemic siblings:
Prayer, Faith, Belief, Trust, Hope — “The Fool’s Five”
These, he says, are not inherently foolish but “fool’s bait”: emotional states directed toward future or non-factual states, implicating desire, time, and vulnerability. This ties trust not to logic but to compound emotional reasoning and contextual risk.
Key Insight: “Trust may be in the beholder, but integrity is in the beheld.”
🔍 THEMATIC ANALYSIS
4. Discipline as Integrity
Zegarelli applies a Jesuit-like ethic:
“Let Yes mean Yes” — discipline is not just about being good but being consistent.
- The Boy is guilty of veracity failure.
- But more subtly, of task dereliction due to boredom — a failure of self-discipline.
- Thus, integrity = matching duty to self-discipline, not just honesty.
5. Dual Failure and Shared Blame
Zegarelli doesn’t let the Villagers off the hook. Their hopeful optimism and inaction in face of evidence complete the tragedy.
“The Boy started the foolishness, but the Villagers perfected it.”
This inversion reveals a structural flaw in institutions that over-rely on untested actors, even when warning signs abound. It’s not just the liar’s fault, but also the enabler’s burden.
📚 CROSS-REFERENCES IN THE ZEGARELLI CANON
Zegarelli links this fable thematically and structurally to:
- GRZ137: Hope, Prayer, Trust and Reliance Upon Luck – expanding Fool’s Five.
- GRZ148: Conflation of Character, Integrity, Goodness and Virtue – helps locate “integrity” in its own category.
- GRZ160: On Leadership and Trust – institutional parallels.
- GRZ208: Running with Your Shoes Untied – self-inflicted failures from negligence.
- GRZ16 and GRZ183: Jesusian “Yes Means Yes” principle – echoing the call to verbal and performative congruity.
- GRZ50: The Duty of Trust – outlines the fiduciary nature of responsibility.
- GRZ24: Epilogue: Wisdom of Aesop – Zegarelli Essential 15 – positions this story as part of the meta-moral universe.
🧾 FINAL TAKEAWAY
Zegarelli takes one of the most accessible fables in world literature and retools it to serve a deeply instructive, even cautionary, tale about modern ethical roles, emotional vulnerability, and the moral consequence of entrusted power. It warns not only against lies, but against:
- poor delegation,
- false hope, and
- emotional shortcuts to trust.
Ultimately, it becomes a lesson in leadership accountability: Those who are bored with duty are not fit for duty. And those who trust them blindly are not fit to assign duty.
20250420.4o
© 2013 Arnold Zegarelli and Gregg Zegarelli, Esq.
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/integrity-reliability-16-boy-who-cried-wolf-aesop-zegarelli-esq-
Related Articles:
- [98_107] Respect, Mercy; Or Sensitive Thoughtfulness- No. 107. The Boy and the Frogs – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_107] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_107]
GRZ98_16.20250620 GRZUID98_16 Fools Five