Lion and Sheep

[vgane]

Share:

Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Share Link

Liked this...Who is the lion and who is the sheep amongst us?

 

[Janaki Jambunathan]

Liked this...Who is the lion and who is the sheep amongst us?


The Lion and the Sheep

• English
• Persian

Find out more
about the contributors The Lion and the Sheep

A Farsi Story by Mareia Abed

---

Once upon a time, there lived a lion who was always bragging about his bravery, his strength, and his cunning. ‘There is no animal in the jungle who is braver than I,’ boasted the lion to all who would listen. ‘I am the biggest and the best, and I am afraid of no animal!’ he proclaimed.
But the lion was not being entirely truthful. He was very afraid of rats, and he did not want any of the other animals to know this in case they made fun of him.
There was also a little sheep who was very meek and quiet. The sheep did not boast or brag because the sheep did not consider himself to be brave or strong or cunning. Because the sheep was so quiet, the lion often picked on him and called him names. ‘You are a frightened little animal,’ goaded the lion. ‘You are too quiet and too timid. You should be more like me.’
The gentle sheep never answered this name calling, he simply went about his business in his usual manner. ‘I may be quiet,’ thought the sheep, ‘but at least I have friends and do not spend my time boasting about myself or judging others.’
One day, when the sheep was walking through the jungle, he heard the lion screaming at the top of his voice. ‘Help me! Help me!’
The little sheep ran in the direction of the lion’s desperate cries for help, until he found the mighty beast clinging to the lowest branch of a tree in a small clearing. ‘Help me, little sheep!’ pleaded the lion.

‘What is wrong?’ asked the sheep as he looked about on the ground to see what had frightened the lion in such a way.
‘Rats!’ exclaimed the lion, and with his tail he pointed towards the ground where there was a family of rats searching for food at the base of the tree.
The little sheep trotted up to the rats and gently pushed them away from the base of the tree. ‘Run along now,’ said the sheep, 'You are scaring the lion.'
And with that, the rats all scurried off into the jungle in search of more food.
When the lion was sure that the rats had gone, he dropped to the ground and tried his best to puff out his chest as if he had not been frightened at all. But the little sheep was not convinced by the lion’s bravado.
‘Why is it that you are so scared of rats?’ asked the little sheep.
‘They are slithery and slimy and dirty,’ said the lion.
‘That is not true,’ protested the sheep. ‘How can you know what they are like if you have never spoken to them?'

The lion thought about this for a while and eventually admitted that he had never spoken to the rats at all but had always been afraid of them. ‘You are right, little sheep,’ said the lion, ‘I decided that the rats were slithery and slimy and dirty, just as I had decided that you were timid and frightened, but it is not true. You are brave and strong, perhaps the bravest and strongest animal in the jungle!’
The sheep thanked the lion for his kind words but admitted that this was probably not true. The two of them laughed together and the sheep had to admit that it was very funny to see the mighty lion hanging from the tree looking so scared.
From that day on, the sheep and the lion became very good friends, and the lion learned from the sheep that it was best never to judge another animal by the way they looked.

 

[renuka]

Liked this...Who is the lion and who is the sheep amongst us?

Cos all sheep say is "Yes Sir Yes Sir Three Bags Full"!LOL

 

[JR]

I do not know about this forum. But in general, those who try to portray themselves as Lion are infact sheep cause they are constantly afraid of what other people think about them. They are scared their ratings might go down.

Whereas those who carry themselves as sheep are braving being in the dark and maybe they are the true lions.

Most people, I believe, are to be a mix of Lion and Sheep -- No one is truly perfect!

 

[cmano1981]

I do not know about this forum. But in general, those who try to portray themselves as Lion are infact sheep cause they are constantly afraid of what other people think about them. They are scared their ratings might go down.

Whereas those who carry themselves as sheep are braving being in the dark and maybe they are the true lions.

Most people, I believe, are to be a mix of Lion and Sheep -- No one is truly perfect!

Another thread of Bad boys seem to be continuing here If I bring in another thread of Thirukural - "perumaikkum enaya sirumaikum tham tham karumame kattalai kal".

 

[JR]

Cmano ji,

I do not the meaning of the thirukkural quoted in your reply. However, I think the following are guidelines for 'good behavior' while being in a forum:

1. Learning to be quiet and give others a chance to speak too - Not dominating.

2. Never abusing others or calling them names, no matter how different they are coming to worship, beliefs, way of living, place of living and so forth.

3. Refraining from bragging. I am reminded of the proverb 'Aalaiyilla oorukku iluppaippoo sarkaraiyam'. When there is no equal for us, we automatically think we are superior, because others do not have access to 'our true story'. Who knows what is happening in reality?

4. Making sure what we say always serves some purpose - in a forum, that purpose is solely talking something that has some educational value.

5. Maintaining diplomacy. When in quarrels or disagreements, never crossing the line and knowing what is one's limit and stopping there.

In my opinion, those who follow the above must be the 'true lions' because their behavior reveals them to be so!

BTW: Just because I stated the above facts, I am not claiming myself to be a Lion, but I am practicing hard to behave as per these guidelines.

 

[cmano1981]

Cmano ji,

I do not the meaning of the thirukkural quoted in your reply. However, I think the following are guidelines for 'good behavior' while being in a forum:

1. Learning to be quiet and give others a chance to speak too - Not dominating.

2. Never abusing others or calling them names, no matter how different they are coming to worship, beliefs, way of living, place of living and so forth.

3. Refraining from bragging. I am reminded of the proverb 'Aalaiyilla oorukku iluppaippoo sarkaraiyam'. When there is no equal for us, we automatically think we are superior, because others do not have access to 'our true story'. Who knows what is happening in reality?

4. Making sure what we say always serves some purpose - in a forum, that purpose is solely talking something that has some educational value.

5. Maintaining diplomacy. When in quarrels or disagreements, never crossing the line and knowing what is one's limit and stopping there.

In my opinion, those who follow the above must be the 'true lions' because their behavior reveals them to be so!

BTW: Just because I stated the above facts, I am not claiming myself to be a Lion, but I am practicing hard to behave as per these guidelines.

Thanks those are good and require to one time-to-time for awakening... I meant bad boy thread as the one here"http://www.tamilbrahmins.com/chit-chat/23027-why-do-women-always-fall-bad-boy.html" - did you think the same when you read my comment? In that thread it was discussed Bad one tend to be true and Good one may be acting...

 

[JR]

Dear Sir,

Bad boys may be worth some face-value discussions for all their charisma, but of what use is all their charisma because no one can live with them? I'm reminded of situation song from 'Moonram Pirai' -- 'nari kalar maari pocchu'! One day their true color will get revealed!

Nari Kathai - Moondram Pirai (???????? ????) - Lyrics, Paadal, Paattu Varigal, Movie, Padam, Youtube Video, Songs, Geetham - Guruvin Inbaminge

This applies to 'good ones acting' too! When we communicate in the forum, others are able to read our inner mind. Over a period of time, it is easy to find out whether others are genuine or not. One should be an oxymoron or a hypocrite to call good ones as acting, even after a period of time!

 

[vgane]

A good one continues to be a good one unless he is burdened with bloated ego or selfishness ! Then his true colors emerges!

 

[renuka]

Isnt it weird..that humans claim to be the superior species yet need a Lion to make them feel brave!LOL

 

[kama]

:first: Thanks for making me laugh, Renuka

 

[renuka]

:first: Thanks for making me laugh, Renuka

You are welcome... Have fun.

 

[JR]

A good one continues to be a good one unless he is burdened with bloated ego or selfishness ! Then his true colors emerges!

A bad one and a good one differ only by a so-called 'thin line' -- and that is, while a good one's true color will be still 'tolerable', a bad one will be 'intolerable'!!

 

[Janaki Jambunathan]

A good one continues to be a good one unless he is burdened with bloated ego or selfishness ! Then his true colors emerges!

Singam has to Roar "Singathin kaalgal pazhuthu pattaalum seetram kuraivathundo" - even if it is injured! Then only it continues to be a good one ! Singam has to be ferocious & beautiful like Narasingam or Narasimham!! Sigam cannot speak the language of Chicken --(Fowl) foul and timid words ( Bocardi alcohol - No time for the ones like you - finally take the escape route I will not respond etc) Then its not singam but Asingam!! Should Roar like Narasingam even when the singam is a senior citizen /member -- Narai Singam!!