-----
One bright morning as the Fox was following his sharp nose through the wood in search of a bite to eat, he saw a Crow on the limb of a tree overhead. This was by no means the first Crow the Fox had ever seen. What caught his attention this time and made him stop for a second look, was that the lucky Crow held a bit of cheese in her beak.
"No need to search any farther," thought sly Master Fox. "Here is a dainty bite for my breakfast."
Up he trotted to the foot of the tree in which the Crow was sitting, and looking up admiringly, he cried, "Good-morning, beautiful creature!"
The Crow, her head cocked on one side, watched the Fox suspiciously. But she kept her beak tightly closed on the cheese and did not return his greeting.
"What a charming creature she is!" said the Fox. "How her feathers shine! What a beautiful form and what splendid wings! Such a wonderful Bird should have a very lovely voice, since everything else about her is so perfect. Could she sing just one song, I know I should hail her Queen of Birds."
Listening to these flattering words, the Crow forgot all her suspicion, and also her breakfast. She wanted very much to be called Queen of Birds. So she opened her beak wide to utter her loudest caw, and down fell the cheese straight into the Fox's open mouth.
"Thank you," said Master Fox sweetly, as he walked off. "Though it is cracked, you have a voice sure enough. But where are your wits?"
-----
Not every Aesop's Fable gets a moral listed with it, but this one did... and I rather like it:
The flatterer lives at the expense of those who will listen to him.
I often bring up Aesop's Fables to back up my point that humans do not, in fact, evolve. We do not, in fact, change by the passing of time. We are exactly the same as we always have been since the recording of history had begun. Aesop's Fables can prove this point, at least, back to the time of ancient Greece.
My proof? Just read this fable. If you can relate to it in any way, and I sure do, then the point is perfectly made. Even today we encounter people who make decisions purely on how much their ego is stroked. Vanity is the downfall of many.
And this story is not the only proof of the samey-sameness of the human race throughout history. There are many, many other fables from ancient times that fit right in with a modern age. Let this particular one add to that evidence. You see this happening all the time. Our world hasn't change; it just got a little shinier!
Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. You can also visit my website at www.tkwade.com. Check out my books! Thanks!
Yes, vanity is a greater weakness than fear or greed. Even a coward or a miser will overcome their usual vices as a matter of pride. Their cowardice and greed are both manifestations of selfishness, the foundation of vanity, thus, are already matters of pride. As for humanity never changing, or "evolving" if you will, the novel THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY could be told as a modern tale or be set in ancient Rome and it would still play out the same.
ReplyDeleteThe human race has never changed. Fiction written throughout history respects this.
DeletePeople tend to follow those who say what they want to hear. Of course, they rarely question where they are being led. So, it is not surprising to find that it may be off a cliff.
ReplyDeleteAnd sometimes they defend it as they are in free-fall.
DeleteIf only people would learn from the folly of the crow. So many are controlled by their vanity as a cunning fox has their dinner. People never seem to change but hopefully some will find The Way.
ReplyDeleteI love how you keep mixing in "The Way" into your responses. It's so awesome!
Delete