The Fable of the Lion and the Frog
The lion, hearing an odd kind of voice, and seeingnobody, started up. He listened again; the voice continued, and he shook withfear.
At last, seeing a frog climb out of the lake,and finding that the noise proceeded from that little creature, he spurned itto pieces with his feet.
Hmmm, howwill you react when the gas pedal is pushed?
Fear.It is perhaps the most powerful of emotions. Fear triggers what is known as oursympathetic nervous system which has been likened to the gas pedal in a car. Itprovides us with a burst of energy so we can respond to perceived danger.
Thisburst of energy fuels the fight or flightresponse – a deep seated, survival tactic in which we choose how torespond. Stand our ground and fight, or flee the scene. Neither response is by definitionright or wrong. The circumstances dictate which we choose to exercise.
Butfear can be used as a weapon. It can be misappropriated and turned into aphantom that invades our psyche. Once it finds a home there, we becomevulnerable.
Fearwhen used as a weapon is cumulative. It feeds on itself and spirals. Lookingfor new parts of us to infect and paralyze. It gets stronger the longer we letit hold court.
Fearturns us into something less than.Less than what we are capable of being. Less than we aspire to be. Less than wewere meant to be.
In thefable, the lion, a noble beast, has been infected by fear and becomes less thanwhat creation intended it to be. So much so that the croaking of a creature itwould normally not deign to notice strikes terror in its heart.
Thelion eventually realizes how foolish it has been and reasserts its rightfulplace in the pecking order.
It isnot hard to see the morale of the fable. But it is one we need to take to heartin the times in which we are living. Fear is not bad in and of itself. But itbecomes insidious when it is used against us.
Youwere meant to live with courage. I was meant to live with courage. It is achoice we both can make.
~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet
~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
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