The story of the Saint and the Scorpion

One morning, when passing a stream, an old man saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the water. As the scorpion was washed closer to the tree, the old man quickly stretched himself out on one of the long roots that branched out into the river and reached out to rescue the drowning creature. As soon as he touched it, the scorpion stung him. Instinctively the man withdrew his hand.

A minute later, after he had regained his balance, he stretched himself out again on the roots to save the scorpion. This time the scorpion stung him so badly with its poisonous tail that his hand became swollen and bloody and his face contorted with pain.

At that moment, a passerby saw the old man stretched out on the roots struggling with the scorpion and shouted: “Hey, what’s wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don’t you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion?”

Without taking his eyes from the scorpion the old man replied, “My friend, just because it is the scorpion’s nature to sting, that does not change my nature to save.”

The important thing to note is to answer what is the story about:

That it teaches to be benovelent. If we ask ourslef that how many characters are there in the story , the answer would be three ,

1) The scorpian

2) The Saint

3) The passerby asking question.

It seems logical but if we try to analyse there might be a fourth person also who is an observer, watching the whole incident and then would pen it down later.

We all see situations as they come to us but if we think situation as a wider objective of making our world good or rather finally making our life better. Will make us conclude the what ever happens just happens for good.