A Fable worth re-visiting: The Scorpion and the Frog

Everyone has probably heard about, or experienced the fable about the 'scorpion and the frog'. It's a great learning story where the theme of betrayed trust has been easily demonstrated through other animal symbols.

Stories like the 'The Scorpion and the Frog' are worth re-visiting as we find our trust in our fellow man waning by the hour. Yes, that includes the neighborhood mechanic down the street, or the dentist at the corner office. It even includes that minister who drives around in that large luxury car while his parishioners seek food to eat. Let's not forget us being fooled in purchasing a bill of goods that don't live up to the hype.

No matter who or what we trust, how often we forget who or what not to trust? Or how often we are ensnared in idolization of others and things to an extent of god-like worship that often we take our eyes off of the truth and find ourselves sinking in quick sand, or, like the 'frog' here, being stung--to death.


Are we able to adopt universal and natural laws, especially in times like these?--laws that are irrevocable and truthful even when it hurts. Or, will our faithlessness in hard times fail us and we become so distorted that we are tricked in believing that even the devil has changed, or start 'believing a lie before the truth'?



One day, a scorpion looked around at the mountain where he lived and decided that he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river. The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn't see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back.


Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.


"Hellooo Mr. Frog!" called the scorpion across the water, "Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?"



"Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you won’t try to kill me?" asked the frog hesitantly. "Because," the scorpion replied, "If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!"



Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!"

"This is true," agreed the scorpion, "But then I wouldn't be able to get to the other side of the river!"

"Alright then...how do I know you won’t just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?" said the frog.

"Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!"

So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog's back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog's soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current. Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog's back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs. "You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?"

The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drowning frog's back.

"I could not help myself. It is my nature." Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river. Self destruction - "It's my Nature", said the Scorpion...