A Parable Re-visted II: The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Someone asked me a question the other day after reading my entry on the blind men and the elephant. "Eh...how come you read fairy tales?" Sigh. I think the person missed what I was trying to say. But never mind. Here I am again, musing over another tale.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf is another cautionary tale. The bored, young shepherd boy who had nothing better to do decided to create some excitment by testing the kindness of the people of his village. However, his pranks got too much to bear, and when he really needed help,no one really believed him. Aesop ended his fable with the moral advice
"Even when liars tell the truth, they are never believed. The liar will lie once, twice, and then perish when he tells the truth."

I am no moralist; as a human, I am flawed.
But the whole point that I want to bring here, is not so much about the boy, but the general attitude of us humans, who are more than 'happy', when it is someone else who gets blamed, or is highlighted for some bad deed.

"Give a dog a bad name, and hang him"?
We all are guilty of stereotyping 'other people'. "They all"...are the problematic ones; not us.
Perhaps that is why programmes like the Yellow Ribbon Project will take a lot of time before people can fully accept the ex-offenders back to society.

I am not saying that the-boy-who-cried-wolf is totally bad...neither is he good. He will learn to accept the his actions have brought about certain consequences. But I have dealt with enough young, restless people to know that they are at a stage when the thrill and impulse of doing something negative is so ...oh-irresistable.

In my line, we are often reminded, " reprimand and dislike the action...but do not label the child." But this can also be a challlenge...when the negative behaviour surfaces over and over and over again. Some cry wolf almost every day...hoping to trigger some kind of reaction...for even negative attention is attention itself. But, if I really stop believing, what will happen, if Wolf, does really materialise?

I guess I must consciously remind myself that sometimes, we can be 'wrong' for the right reasons...and also be 'right', for the wrong reasons (I am getting confused).

So those who you are with me on my journey for absolute truth...let me tell you...at this moment...I am still trekking on.