The Scorpion and the Frog - Let's Get the Story Straight

 

The tale of the Scorpion and the Frog has been told and retold in movies, including more recently, "The Crying Game."

For those who haven't heard it as it's been told, it goes like this: 

A scorpion and a frog are on a riverbank. The scorpion wants to cross, but he cannot swim. He asks the frog if he will carry him across the river on his back. The frog says no, because the scorpion will sting him and kill him. The scorpion says he wouldn't do that because it would mean they would both drown. So, the frog agrees and allows the scorpion on his back. Halfway across the river, the frog feels a sharp spear in his side. He realizes the scorpion has stung him. As he's becoming paralyzed and they both begin to sink, the frog says, "why would you do that, knowing it would kill us both?" The scorpion says, "I can't help it. It's in my nature." And they both drown. The end. 

This tale in the movies is supposed to show that some people are just evil people and will do things to harm other people even if it means harming themselves. 

So stupid. 

OK so for one thing, the original fable was Persian in origin and it was not a frog, but a tortoise who agreed to help his friend the Scorpion. Halfway across the river, the tortoise heard a tapping sound and realized his dumb friend was TRYING to sting him, but he couldn't. The tortoise asked the scorpion why he would do that, and the scorpion gave that same reply, "It's in my nature." The tortoise shook the scorpion off his back and let him drown and carried on across the river, unharmed. 

This one still has the evil scorpion, but there is no other victim in this fable. The tortoise shook it off and moved on. This is a decent fable for illustrating trust and boundaries. And for knowing that if a person chooses to try and cause harm to someone who is good, the good one will feel betrayed but will carry on, and the bad one will suffer due to his or her own bad choices (karma).

BUT

Here's the real kicker. These are stories. Fables. 

In truth, Scorpions do not sting unless they are trying to stun and paralyze their prey or unless they are feeling threatened. 

They do not sting their mates. 

So the real story would be, if a person perceives you as prey or a threat, they may very well try to harm you because in their mind, they are either conquering you or defending themselves against you. 

But if a person actually sees you as a friend or a mate, they just wouldn't do that. 

Now...another kicker. Guess what can make a person perceive someone as prey or a threat when they're not? 

Insecurity. 

Insecurity tells a person they are not lovable as they are and must strategize to lure in a potential mate. That potential mate then becomes viewed as prey. 

Insecurity tells a person that they are not lovable as they are and must try and fool people in order to receive love. So if a person sees through their lies or nonsense, they will see this as a threat.

It's not in their nature. They are not evil. They are woefully and pitifully insecure and will continue to harm others and themselves unless or until they heal this insecurity within themselves. 

If they do heal themselves and find self-love and self-worth, they won't hurt people anymore, and won't have to exhaust themselves playing stupid games trying conquer or fool other people into believing they are worth something because they will already know they are. 

That "if" is up to them. 

If you find you're dealing with someone who has massive insecurity, you don't have to hate them or call them out. You can have compassion for them and love them from a distance where you'll be safe. That distance may be as far away as no contact at all. That is up to you. 

Carry on, 

Doe