This is a proverbial story from Hinduism that I've come across in several different religion/spirituality books.
A yogi (Hindu teacher) was sitting on the bank of the Ganges River and saw a scorpion floating in the water. He reached out his hand to rescue the scorpion and was stung by it. He reached out again and was stung again. He reached out a third time and was stung yet again. A passerby yelled at the yogi, "Fool! Why do you keep trying to rescue this scorpion whose only gratitude is to sting you?" The yogi replied, "Just because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting, why should I change my nature which is to help?"
I told this story last night while teaching my World Religion class at the prison and saw something light up in one of my student's eyes. He said, "Thank you for this story. It so powerfully expresses how I'm trying to live in here."
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Robert, I hadn't heard that story before. It reminds me to see the Christ within each person and know that they are expressing their best at that time. I imagine teaching in a prison gives you many opportunities to remember this blessing. I'm trying to share tools I've learned on my blog, Daily Spiritual Tools, and I'd love it if you gave me some feedback. Namste... Sherry
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