Guest guest Posted January 18, 2004 Report Share Posted January 18, 2004 The Man and the Snake A very long time ago in a remote village in India a very old man sat meditating near a river. One day after his prayers, he noticed a snake swimming haplessly in the water. The snake, try as it may, couldn't swim well and was slowly losing its will to survive in the deep murky water. When the old man saw this, he immediately put his hand in the water to rescue the drowning snake. But as soon as he touched it, the creature jerked and bit him hard. Instinctively, the old man withdrew his hand, but then having regained his composure, he once again stretched out his hand to rescue the snake. Again the snake bit him hard. The man continued to coax the snake out of the water but every time he tried, the snake bit him. The man withdrew his bloody, swollen hand from the water to examine the bites. At that moment, a passer-by saw the old man's hand, and shook his head in disbelief. "Hey, stupid old man, what's wrong with you? Only a fool risks his life for the sake of a snake. Don't you know that you may kill yourself to save the ungrateful creature?" Slowly, the old man turned his head and looking calmly into the stranger's eyes, he said, "Friend, because it is the nature of the snake to bite, why should I give up my own nature to save?" - Anon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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