Story of a murder suicide
Story of a murder suicide
My preferred version of the “nature of the Scorpion” tale is a little different. It doesn’t really fit here, but I like to post it whenever this story comes up, because I’m autistic, and it brings me joy to share the story.
One day, a Monk was walking alongside a stream when he saw a Scorpion struggling in the water. Knowing that scorpions cannot swim, he knelt down to scoop it out of the water.
Just before setting it down, the Scorpion turned and stung his hand. The Monk withdrew his hand in pain and the Scorpion fell back into the stream.
When the Monk realized this, he scooped his hands down again to save the Scorpion. And just as before, the Scorpion stung his hand and fell back into the stream. This scene repeated itself several times.
A little boy who was playing near the stream asked the Monk, “Excuse me. Why do you keep trying to save the Scorpion — Don’t you know it will just sting you every time you try to rescue it?”
The Monk, picking up a leaf and rescuing the scorpion successfully this time, replied, “Dear boy, just as it is a Scorpion’s nature to sting, and Water’s nature to make things wet, so it is my nature — a Monk’s nature — to save.”
That’s not the exact version I was told originally, but close enough.
I like your version much better.
Instead of just focusing on the negative, it not only includes an example of a positive state of being but highlights the resilience of that good nature even when faced with the negative/harmful nature of another.