Friday, April 22, 2011

Still more proof that David B is evil

So i once heard the following story in a stake conference address, repeated here from memory:

On a beautiful college campus in Philadelphia* a dog had treed a squirrel. A bunch of people watched to see what would happen, but nobody intervened. Eventually the dog killed the squirrel by lulling it [the squirrel] into a false sense of security and then pouncing, and all the people felt guilty for not helping.

The speaker’s intended moral: We need to be aware of those around us, and help those who are in danger (especially spiritual danger, given the rest of the spearker’s address).

My take on the story: Yeah, it’s an interesting story with interesting applications, but i can’t help but be impressed by the intelligence of a dog that could lull another animal into a false sense of security. I mean, a dog that smart? That’s where my cheering interest lies.

Overarching lesson: Even Aesop’s fables sometimes have alternative morals to them.

* Of course, having gone to grad school in Philadelphia, i have to ask if there really is such a thing.

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