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phillyinsomniac.bsky.social
@phillyinsomniac.bsky.social
no one of consequence
66 followers264 following771 posts
phillyinsomniac.bsky.social

So years ago I saw a post on Tumblr that starts with the traditional version of the story, and then goes into all sorts of other ways it could have ended. The whole thing is, IMO, worth a look here sadoeuphemist.tumblr.com/post/6155219... but I've attached a couple of my favorites

…But no sooner than they were halfway across the river, the frog felt a subtle motion on its back, and in a panic dived deep beneath the rushing waters, leaving the scorpion to drown. “It was going to sting me anyway,” muttered the frog, emerging on the other side of the river. “It was inevitable. You all knew it. Everyone knows what those scorpions are like. It was self-defense.”
…“Just a precaution,” said the scorpion. “I cannot sting you without drowning. And now, you cannot drown me without being stung. Fair’s fair, isn’t it?” “You have a point,” the frog acknowledged. “But once we get to dry land, couldn’t you sting me then without repercussion?” “All I want is to cross the river safely,” said the scorpion. “Once I’m on the other side I would gladly let you be.” “But I would have to trust you on that,” said the frog. “While you’re pressing a stinger to my neck. By ferrying you to land I’d be be giving up the one deterrent I hold over you.” “But by the same logic, I can’t possibly withdraw my stinger while we’re still over water,” the scorpion protested. The frog paused in the middle of the river, treading water. “So, I suppose we’re at an impasse.” The river rushed around them. The scorpion’s stinger twitched against the frog’s unbroken skin. “I suppose so,” the scorpion said.
But as they forged through the rushing waters, the scorpion grew worried. This frog thinks me a ruthless killer, it thought. Would it not be justified in throwing me off now and ridding the world of me? Why else would it agree to this? Every jostle made the scorpion more and more anxious, until the frog surged forward with a particularly large splash, and in panic the scorpion lashed out with its stinger. “I knew it,” snarled the frog, as they both thrashed and drowned. “A scorpion cannot change its nature.”
…“Why on earth did you do that?” the frog said morosely. “Now we’re both going to die.” “Alas, I was of two natures,” said the scorpion. “One said to gratefully ride your back across the river, and the other said to sting you where you stood. And so both fought, and neither won.” It smiled wistfully. “Ah, it would be nice to be just one thing, wouldn’t it? Unadulterated in nature. Without the capacity for conflict or regret.”
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phillyinsomniac.bsky.social
@phillyinsomniac.bsky.social
no one of consequence
66 followers264 following771 posts
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