Scorpion wants to cross the river so approaches Crocodile to ask for a lift to the other side.
“Scorpion!“, replies Crocodile. “Do you think I’m crazy? I’ll get half way across the river and you’ll stab me with that sting of yours. I’m a crocodile, not an idiot.”
“Oh, Mr. Crocodile!” replies Scorpion. “I’m no idiot either. If I sting you in the middle of the river you’ll sink to the bottom and, as I can’t swim, I’ll surely drown! Now, I think you’ll agree that would be very idiotic of me to kill both of us. And … I promise not to sting you.”
Crocodile thinks about this for a moment, is swayed by the logic in what he hears and agrees to take Scorpion across the river. They set off, Scorpion safely nestled on his back.
In the middle of the river, Scorpion brings out his sting and stabs Crocodile in the neck. Crocodile turns his head to look at Scorpion and with his dying breathe asks,
“Why did you do that? We’re both going to die. It just doesn’t make any sense. And you promised!”
Scorpion shrugs his shoulders.
“It’s not my fault. Hey. I’m a scorpion and that’s what scorpions do.“
I was brought up on a staple diet of happy endings, so when I first heard this ancient fable, I was shocked. How could the scorpion do that? What kind of cruel, dark world does this point to? Are we really trapped by some pre-determined programming – and if so, what is it?
There are many things in this story. Trust, the irrationality of behaviour, the occasional cruelty of life. There’s one area, though, I’m going to focus on here.
Trapped By Our Nature?
The one that strikes me most is how much violence is justified by thinking we’re trapped by some pre-determined programming. At the most obvious level it’s the commonly held belief that we’re by nature violent hunters. I don’t want to tread on worn ground here … but, come on! Just look at our bodies. Where are the vicious claws or the hunter’s teeth?
Even if we were pre-programmed towards violence, rather than peace, it doesn’t mean we have no choice.
We’re not like the scorpion, no matter how comforting it might be to hide behind this. It’s comforting because if we’re fulfilling some pre-formed conditioning then we don’t have to take responsibility for our actions. The scorpion shrugs his shoulders and says, “It’s not my fault. I’m not responsible for stabbing you.”
I’m reminded of those horrific situations where ‘terrorists’ take hostages and issue demands, threatening to harm the captives if they’re not met. It’s usually followed (at least in Hollywood movies) by some comment like, “If you don’t meet our demands, the hostage’s blood will be on your hands. It will be your fault if we kill them.”
The unspoken assumption is , “Hey ! We’re ‘terrorists’ and that’s what ‘terrorists’ do. IT’S NOT OUR FAULT.”
Give me a break!
Our genes and our upbringing no doubt shape us, but at a certain point we have to take responsibility for our lives and our behaviour.
“My mother didn’t love me enough. My father was never around. I went to a bad school,” might work up to the age of sixteen (maybe a bit later for some). As an adult they’re feeble excuses for not making different choices about what we do.
[I know my Mum reads this from time to time, so Mum - these comments are not mine and they're not directed at you or Dad.]
Day to Day Identification
If I’m honest I often unconsciously identify myself with something and then act out from that identification. When I’m unaware then it’s hard to do something about it, difficult to recognise I have a choice.
One reason I’m passionate about self-development is that it helps bring those hidden things into the light. It helps me identify when my scorpion sting is busy wreaking havoc with my life.
When I’m aware, I have more capacity to choose the actions that make life better for myself and those around me. It’s a long and sometimes rocky road and one without a particular destination other than a desire to make a positive contribution to the world.
A couple of examples I noticed over the last years:
- I’m an introvert – which I use to justify withdrawing from the world, closing down from time to time with even those people closest to me, and avoiding social situations like the plague.
The sting? Depression, loneliness, loss of friendships, lethargy … and it’s confusing, frustrating and worrying for people in my life.
- I’m a man – which justifies a whole range of ‘manly’ things such as using logic in emotional situations, an almost obsessive desire to fix things and a refusal to ask for directions even when hopelessly lost.
The sting? Trouble dealing with the inherent messiness of life and relating to emotionally charged situations … and again it’s frustrating and disconnecting for others (especially the females in my life).
Noticing these things doesn’t necessarily change what I do but it does make my actions conscious and I’m more likely to manage the fall-out. For example, I still withdraw – but it’s a conscious choice and I can communicate to those around me that I need my space right now rather than mysteriously disappearing.
I take the venom out of the scorpion sting.
I don’t drown and those around me don’t get poisoned.
We all make it safely to other side.
What do you identify with and act out?
What difference would it make to you and others if you did so consciously?
PS I forgot to mention that my star sign is Scorpio. If I ever sting you then please forgive me … it’s just the way I am 
Similar Posts:
- Dwelling on the lighter side
- Garbage dump of natural beauty
- Violent by nature
- You don’t have to do anything
- You cannot do anything wrong
- Stop making me angry!
This is fantastic, Ian. I love how you have tied living consciously on a personal and national level. It’s so true, at the core of every conflict are people embracing their victimhood as an excuse to visit atrocity on others.
I have identified with being a ‘cyclist’ for a loooong time. Which is crazy because I haven’t done any serious riding in almost a decade. But in my head I’m eco friendly, even though we drive around all the time.
Those labels form the past do tend to hang around, don’t they? I think of myself as a slim young man with a full head of hair….
I second what Hayden said. Or, at least, the first paragraph. I’ve never self-identified as a cyclist, so that part doesn’t apply to me. But yeah, Hayden’s first paragraph, I ditto that.
One of my pet peeves is when people justify child and/or spousal abuse with the phrase “They were abused themselves” or something along those lines. It does’t work that way. As human beings, we ALWAYS have a choice. We can choose to repeat the mistakes we were taught, or we can rise above.
There is a lot of ‘justification’ for all kinds of things .. and I guess we’ve all fallen into that trap at some point in our lives. Yet each of us is responsible for shaping our own actions.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Peter de Kock, Jay Schryer. Jay Schryer said: Are you a slave to your nature? I don't think so. Discuss with @IanPeatey: http://www.quantumlearning.pl/sting-of-the-scorpion [...]
I like the way you put it, that an important part of personal development is noticing all the ways we’re not choosing the way we live. When we think of it that way, there isn’t as much self-blame involved — “I’ve been so stupid for acting that way for so long” — and instead a recognition that choice around how we live is something we develop gradually.
I’m all for reducing the amount of self-blame and guilt in the world. I like this idea that it’s all a gradual development.
I have been a scorpion for a long time concerning issues like being inhibited socially. while I’ve always believed, logically, that it is something I can change, I’ve never really believed or acted upon it…I always thought that’s just how I am.
It is a real challenge to take those things and change them…it’s the crux of personal development, really…changing what’s ingrained in us that doesn’t fit right.
I planned to write a post in the, next month or so, about an issue in which I have struggled with this concept lately. Glad I found this post…I will hav something to link to.
thanks for the insight!
Hi Carlos. And it’s not always easy, is it? Some of those ingrained beliefs and ideas take a lot of shaking out. Happy to have helped – and I appreciate the link!
Tricky question – perhaps the answer is by definition that we don’t know.
Like Chris I really like the approach of noticing how much we not choosing how we live.
You’re right .. these are the things we’re blind to and by definition can’t see them. Until we do.
Love the story! It highlights the different between our conscious and subconscious self-image. And you made a nice point from that story. PS: I’m a Scorpio too!
A fellow Scorpio! Whenever I read the character descriptions of Scorpios I’m always happy to be one. They always seem the most interesting of star signs. But then I am biased!
I was watching a talk-show about violence last night and I felt sad and a little frustrated when the guests and the moderator said that aggression is innate and we should face the fact that it’s in our nature to fight each other. I felt sad because I don’t agree and I wish more people would take the time to see all the nonviolence and peacefulness that exist in the world. And I felt angry because I wish that those who have the power to reach and influence a lot of people would use this power in a benign manner.
We are not innate warriors. We do act violently sometimes, but we act peacefully most of the time. And we can learn to control and modify the way we act and react to unpleasant events. As you wrote, we have a choice. There’s no denying that many things in our environment make us feel frustrated and angry, but it’s in our hands what we do with those feelings.
I’m just repeating what you already said and I guess it comes from my urge to make my point, which is probably due to my need for communion and shared values.
I was thinking about writing an article about violence in schools and I remembered that some people seem to think that kids act violently because it’s in their nature. What I want to show is that the school environment is in itself violent and that children are in fact imprisoned, so maybe we should look at the idea of school and wonder if it’s the best way to treat our children. What do you think?
And if you’re interested, I found this article which argues quite convincingly that humans are not innately aggressive: http://www.alfiekohn.org/miscellaneous/aggression.htm.