#185 – A Tale of Two Frogs

While doing research for last week’s post on the subject of self-discipline, I came across one of Aesop’s Fables, called The Frogs and the Well. It’s a little story with a big lesson that certainly applies to leaders. And for adults, it’s fun to be reminded of how effective it can be to teach important principles through the medium of animal messengers, one of the characteristics of a fable.

Aesop’s Tale of The Frogs and the Well ~

Two frogs lived together in a marsh. But one hot summer the marsh dried up, and they left it to look for another place to live, for frogs like damp places if they can get them. By and by they came to a deep well, and one of them looked down into it, and said to the other, “This looks a nice cool place. Let us jump in and settle here.” But the other, who had a wiser head on his shoulders, replied, “Not so fast, my friend. Supposing this well dried up like the marsh, how should we get out again?”

The Moral of the Story ~

Look before you leap. Think twice before you act. (Not from Aesop, but a delightful alternative metaphor is the very prudent Carpenters’ Axiom: “Measure twice; cut once.”)

Did You Know?

Aesop was reportedly a slave and story-teller in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. Probably of diverse origins, the stories called Aesop’s Fables have descended through many centuries, cultures and languages. A fable is defined as the use of a humble incident to teach a great truth. They are fictitious, short, unaffected, useful to life and true to nature.
I hope you enjoyed it!

Mary