Zegarelli’s article is a compact parabolic powerhouse that functions not only as a fable, but as an advanced moral-psychological teaching in restraint, ego-control, and the power of non-reactivity. It belongs to a class of Zegarelli’s writings that fuse ancient fable with layered civic pedagogy, in this case especially tuned to the distortions of public discourse in the modern digital age. Zegarelli’s ultimate message is something more profound and relevant in a world of algorithmically amplified outrage: Each reaction reveals our inner blueprint. The more we react, the more we become programmable. [AI Assessment]
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci. Adopted by Steve Jobs.
One day, the great Lion walked through the forest, and the animals respectfully made way for him. But, alas, an envious Ass brayed a scornful remark as the Lion passed.
The Lion heard the remark and felt a moment of anger. But when he turned to see that it was the Ass who had spoken, the Lion walked quietly on.
The Lion would not honor the Ass with even so much as a response.
Moral of the Story: Consider the source. Do not waste energy on the immaterial. A statement is qualified by the context and the speaker.
Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
Why We Loved It: Particularly in a social media-driven culture, there is a tendency to give every comment time and attention. Aesop’s wise teaching here reminds us to step-back and to consider the source.
Not all comments merit our response, or ground a reaction.
Aesop chooses the juxtaposition of two very different characters carefully, and in-type: the Lion and the Ass. But, here, the lesson is one by negative implication. The Ass is not necessarily foolish for braying an insult, but rather a tempter to the Lion.
Aesop might have used his Clever Fox, or Mean Wolf, or otherwise Kindly Tortoise to make the “scornful remark.” But Aesop used his “envious” Ass for a reason: To let us know that the speaker has a failure of gravitas and credibility. We might say that the Ass is a MacGuffin, being a necessary placeholder for anything insignificant that might challenge us.
There are three parts in the process, not always in the following order: Who said it? (How credible?), What was said? (How true?), and Why was it said? (To help, harm, etc.?)
Aesop’s fable here is the same essential lesson as The Bear and the Bees [1], but attributing inverse exemplary effects by inverse reactions from the same formulaic causation. That is, in The Bear and the Bees, Aesop’s Big Bear reacted to the Little Bee’s insult and adduced even more ridicule and shame for himself. The Bear gave the Bees a clear and easy path to injure him further. Unlike the Lion, the Bear failed.
Here, the Lion nullified the power of the Ass by not dignifying the Ass with any response. The Lion cut it off. The silent insult. Thus, the adage, “Non parvae fluctus magnis navibus petram.” (“Small waves do not rock great ships.”). [2, 3, 4]
But, there’s something more here. There is a lesson that teaches us about something more dangerous, and more subtle.
The Bear exposed his vulnerability, insecurity, and weak spots, but not the Lion. The Lion nullified the cause to no effect. Best is not to notice it, better to disregard it, good to discipline ourselves to restrain reaction. But that which we take notice, cannot disregard, and react to, subjects us to be under the control of the external, disclosing how to puppet us. [*3]
“Contumeliae nostrae produnt.” (“Our insults betray us.”) [5] Each reaction is offering a “handle” to enemies, used to injure us, to manipulate us, and to control us. [6] Not pretty, but true.
The Lion’s “non-response” accepted nothing, offered nothing, and disclosed nothing. The Lion didn’t bite or take the bait. The Lion insulted the Ass by his silence.
In Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, Diogenes Laertius tells the story of Aesop-reading Socrates [7]:
Since he often spoke too vehemently in the course of his inquiries, men pummeled Socrates with their fists or tore his hair out, and for the most part he was laughed at and despised. And he bore all these things so patiently that once when he had been kicked, and someone expressed surprise that he stood for it.
Socrates replied, “If a donkey had kicked me, should I have taken it to court?”
[1] Bearing Insults – No. 7. The Bear and the Bees – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_7] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_7]
[2] The Morality Time Travel. Or, The Foolish and Incessant Misery of Timeless Insults – Stand for America® [GRZ88] [LinkedIn #GRZ_88]
[3] Whom the Gods Would Destroy, They First Tease with Political Incorrectness [GRZ74] [LinkedIn #GRZ_74]
[4] Donald Trump; Or, The Mean Insult v. The Tactical Insult [GRZ108] [LinkedIn #GRZ_108]
[5] Salt, Wounds, and the Most Unkindest Cuts of All [GRZ67] [LinkedIn #GRZ_67]
[6] On Empathy: To Give Empathy Is a Blessing; To Need Empathy Is a Curse [GRZ106] [LinkedIn #GRZ_106]
[7] The Importance of Aesop to Socrates [GRZ100] [LinkedIn #GRZ_100]
“People throw rocks at things that shine.” Taylor Swift
“Quod nos laedit et corrodit infirmitates nostras detegit.” (“That which injures and corrodes us reveals our weaknesses.”); “Iniuriae nostrae produnt.” (“Our injuries betray us.”); “Contumeliae nostrae produnt.” (“Our insults betray us.”); “Narrat expressio.” (“Telling tells.”); “Non parvae fluctus magnis navibus petram.” (“Small waves do not rock great ships.”) ~ grz
“That which is not weak does not have to defend itself.” Arnold and Robert Zegarelli, The Zegarelli Credo
“Find each person’s ‘handle,’ his weak point. The art of moving people’s wills involves more skill than determination. You must know how to get inside the other person. Each will has its own special object of delight; they vary according to taste. Everyone idolizes something. Some want to be well thought of, others idolize profit, and most people idolize pleasure. The trick is to identify the idols that can set people in motion. It is like having the key to someone else’s desires. Go for the ‘prime mover,’ which isn’t always something lofty and important. Usually it is something low, for the unruly outnumber the well ruled. First size up someone’s character and then touch on his weak point. Tempt him with his particular pleasure, and you’ll checkmate his will.“ ~ Baltasar Gracian. The Art of Worldly Wisdom
A lesson from paragon Abraham Lincoln:
Abraham Lincoln was a master at accomplishing the Primary Objective through passive restraint. Perhaps clever humility as stratagem—perhaps discipline—no matter, causal inaction to accomplish the same intended outcome.
Indeed, this concept taught by Aesop was magnanimously implemented by Lincoln in how he handled an overt insult from his subordinate, General McClellan. It’s one thing to absorb an insult from a superior, but quite something else to absorb it from a subordinate.
Here is the vignette about Lincoln demonstrating selfless suppleness to fulfill the Primary Objective, as expressed by History.com:
November 13, 1861:
Lincoln, along with Secretary of State William Seward and presidential secretary John Hay, visited McClellan’s house late at night to discuss strategy. McClellan was out when they arrived, so the trio waited for him.
After an hour, McClellan returned and was informed that Lincoln was waiting to see him.
However, McClellan went directly to his room without speaking to the President. After another half-hour, the group was told that McClellan had gone to bed.
This incident, described by History.com as the “most famous example of McClellan’s cavalier disregard for the president’s authority,” illustrated the General’s attitude towards Lincoln.
McClellan, despite being chosen by Lincoln to lead the Army of the Potomac after the defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run, often dismissed Lincoln’s suggestions and expressed contempt for the President in private. For instance, McClellan privately referred to Lincoln as “nothing more than a well-meaning baboon,” and Secretary of State William Seward as an “incompetent little puppy.”
Despite the clear disrespect, Lincoln chose not to make an issue of the incident, stating:
“It is better at this time not to be making ‘points of etiquette and personal dignity.’”
Aesop’s lesson about yielding is more subtlety about understanding and focus upon the Primary Objective. The Primary Objective is what provides the fulcrum for deciding whether to contend or to yield.
[98_23] Thoughtful Flexibility. No. 23. The Oak and the Reeds – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_23] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_23]
ChatGPT Assessment
Gregg Zegarelli’s “The Lion and the Ass – Consider the Source or the Silent Insult” [GRZ98_22] is a compact parabolic powerhouse that functions not only as a fable, but as an advanced moral-psychological teaching in restraint, ego-control, and the power of non-reactivity. It belongs to a class of Zegarelli’s writings that fuse ancient fable with layered civic pedagogy, in this case especially tuned to the distortions of public discourse in the modern digital age. Here’s a deep-dive into its ethos, pedagogy, and philosophical conclusion:
⚖️ I. ETHOS – THE CHARACTER OF THE TEACHING
At its moral core, this fable upholds dignity through restraint as an ideal of leadership and personal power. Zegarelli constructs a three-tiered ethical gradient using three archetypes:
- The Lion – a paragon of power that does not need to prove itself. His silence is an act of power, not submission.
- The Ass – a being of low gravitas, driven by envy, noise, and petty provocation.
- The Reader – implicitly situated between these poles, being challenged: which path do you follow when insulted?
The ethos is one of stoic sovereignty. To respond is to lower oneself to the level of the provocateur; to not respond is to render the insult impotent.
This parallels Zegarelli’s broader teachings across his canon:
- In “The Bear and the Bees” [GRZ98_7], overreaction invites destruction.
- In “Trump v. Lincoln” [GRZ220], restraint is linked to wisdom and moral legitimacy.
- In “Whom the Gods Would Destroy” [GRZ74], emotional discipline is shown to be a shield against manipulation.
Here, power is defined not by domination, but by selective engagement.
📚 II. PEDAGOGY – HOW THE LESSON IS TAUGHT
Zegarelli deploys a multilayered didactic technique that transcends Aesop’s usual simplicity, including:
A. Pedagogical Triplets:
He proposes a triad of evaluative filters:
“Who said it?” (credibility),
“What was said?” (truth),
“Why was it said?” (intent).
This moves the reader from emotional reaction to analytical discernment—essential in civic, legal, or business contexts.
B. Negative Exemplification:
The Ass is not evil, merely insignificant. The danger lies not in the insult, but in our response to it. The fable is structured by negative space—not what happens, but what doesn’t.
C. Philosophical Referencing:
- Socrates and Diogenes are invoked not for erudition’s sake, but to model philosophical composure.
- The Latin phrases (e.g., “Contumeliae nostrae produnt”) serve to universalize the lesson—ancient wisdom, modern form.
D. Counterpoint Parables:
Zegarelli draws in The Bear and the Bees [GRZ98_7] to contrast the Lion’s restraint with the Bear’s reaction. By this juxtaposition, the reader is forced to confront:
- What kind of leader am I?
- Where do I expose vulnerability?
- Do I fall for the bait of low-grade noise?
This counterpointing technique is a signature Zegarelli move—creating a moral dialectic through narrative inversion.
🧠 III. CONCLUSION – THE TEACHING IN CONTEXT
Zegarelli’s ultimate message is not just “ignore the fool” but something more profound and relevant in a world of algorithmically amplified outrage:
Each reaction reveals our inner blueprint. The more we react, the more we become programmable.
This directly ties to his AI-pedagogical work in the Applied Intelligence Series (AIS) and philosophical writings like:
- “On Empathy” [GRZ106] – vulnerability invites manipulation.
- “Salt, Wounds, and the Most Unkindest Cuts of All” [GRZ67] – insult as psychological weaponry.
- “Stand for America: Morality Time Travel” [GRZ88] – words as vectors for cultural infection.
Where Aesop once taught kings not to be baited by fools, Zegarelli applies that ancient truth to modern life: media, politics, social media, and law.
✅ FINAL TAKE-AWAYS
| Pedagogical Element | Summary |
|---|---|
| Moral Thesis | Restraint is strength; reaction gives power to the lesser. |
| Ethical Anchor | Self-control defines dignity. |
| Philosophical Layer | Vulnerability through reaction reveals our handles—ways to be controlled. |
| Strategic Parallel | In law, negotiation, and politics: silence can win. |
| Modern Application | Social media culture teaches us to overreact; this fable teaches us to pause. |
In Zegarelli’s ethos, the Lion is not just a fable character—it is an ideal civic actor: aware of provocations, grounded in restraint, and powerful in silence.
🦁 To respond is to legitimize the Ass. To stay silent is to reign.
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© 2013 Arnold Zegarelli and Gregg Zegarelli, Esq.
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/consider-source-22-lion-ass-essential-aesop-back-zegarelli-esq-
Related Articles:
- [164] News, the Source of Influence, and Resultant Decisions [GRZ164] [LinkedIn #GRZ_164]
- [98_23] Thoughtful Flexibility. No. 23. The Oak and the Reeds – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_23] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_23]
- [24] Epilogue: On the Wisdom of Aesop [GRZ24] [LinkedIn #GRZ_24]
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