The Scorpion and the Frog
There are quite a few fables featuring animals I've learned since I was a child. However, I didn't know the story of "The Scorpion and the Frog" until after watching the movie "Drive" (2011). There are some very good interpretations and discussions of the movie on Reddit .
Tiny scorpions and tiny frogs
Back when I was a little kid living in the mountain village, I used to observe tiny scorpions on the ground near the outdoor restroom. They were about an inch long, half transparent, likely baby scorpions. I would play with them with a small stick, but still with caution.
And there were also tiny frogs, lots of them after the rain. They were slightly bigger than an adult fingernail. I used to tie two frogs with a string on their hind legs and let them leap toward opposite directions—a modified version of tug-of-war.
Ever since I moved to the big city, I hadn't seen such tiny scorpions and frogs.
We are both the scorpion and the frog
We make promises and we break them even when we didn't intend to. We trust lies and try to justify the potentially dangerous situations, and we get hurt at the end. Maybe the animals are just two opposite sides to our multi-dimensional lives at certain given points.
We judge others by their actions but we judge ourselves by our intentions.
Be a determined scorpion and a smart frog
When we're forced to swim across the river with a deadly partner, what can we do?
- Identify potential hazards and evaluate the probability and impact
- Be prepared both mentally and physically with emergency response plans
- Continuously monitor and make adjustments as needed
If both the scorpion and the frog are lucky enough to survive, they both need to learn how to never put themselves into the same situations again. Or maybe not all scorpions are as deadly? Just like what the driver asked Benicio when they were watching cartoons together.
Driver: Is he a bad guy?
Benicio: Yeah.
Driver: How can you tell?
Benicio: Because he's a shark.
Driver: There's no good sharks?
My "0 or 1" framework
To me, many things are either 0 or 1. When deciding if I want my daughter to go to a sleepover with friends whose parents I barely know, I'd consider all the possible "bad things". If any one of them were to come true, the damage would be 1. I'm not a risk-taker for such things, so the decision is not to attend, and the risk would be 0.
This framework plays an important role in my daily choices—making a big purchase, moving to a new place, jumping into an adventure...