Right Action

You act, you lose. You don't act, you also lose. What is the right action?

Long ago, on a hot summer day, a poor farmer came across a snake on a lone mountain path. Both snake and man froze in fear. The wide-eyed man held his breath seeing the snake’s black and white patterns knowing well that they advertised poisonous fangs behind the forked tongue.

 

Slowly, he reached for his long knife, but his compassionate nature didn’t allow him to take the life of the creature at his feet - venomous and vile though it was. That night, as he slept on his thin bamboo mattress out under the stars - as was the custom in those parts during the summer months - he was bitten by that very same snake and so he died.

 

This man’s son grew up to fear and loathe snakes. He walked with restless eyes scanning the ground, and his long knife was always at the ready to strike at anything that resembled a snake. Fighting his fear, he sought them out in dark, dank crevices, and chopped their heads off mercilessly. He trapped and burned them alive by the dozen.

 

As a result of his efforts, snakes nearly disappeared from his land. However, as an unforeseen consequence of his actions, mice and rats overran his land, spoiling his grains. The farmer became destitute, and when winter came he starved to death.

Author's Note

This story is not so much an environmentalist's call for action. It's meant to question whether we know what the right thing to do is at all.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I love my snakes out here in the wilderness becuz the rodents are so plentiful & destructive. My neighbor, a hoarder (who needs rodent control more than the rest of us) killed 3 snakes this summer, telling me like he's the hero of the neighborhood. Your poem reminds me of the way the USA uses its military might to stomp the crap out of all the never-ending s**t people are afraid of around the world (((HUGS)))

[Dave Brown]

Yes, no company store here but mess with nature and what do you get?
I think that is more than obvious with forests now unable to consume enough CO2 and global warming well on its way, however that snake should have displayed a few more smarts, although there is the IQ thingy and I have yet to see a snake even at night school!!

[Laz K.]

Thanks, Dave, for reading and commenting. Your visits are always appreciated. Actually, the idea came to me after listening to a Zen talk on dualistic thinking which - if I understood correctly - is incapable of initiating right action since it has to originate from a state of mind that is free of such differentiations. (Or, something like that...:))

Thanks again!

[Chris Shaw]

It's all about balance and food chains. . If you mess about with them, you do so at your peril. Can't help feeling sorry for the compassionate guy who was rewarded by being bitten and subsequently died. Sort of leaves a bitter taste. Nicely related. If I find a snake on my path, I'll make sure it becomes a dead one.

Chris

[Laz K.]

Thanks for reading and commenting.

[Chris Shaw]

You are welcome Laz.

[Lorry]

Which explains perfectly our fickle mind of detesting creepy crawlies and flying buzzy things that so few are fans of, without them we'd have donkey sized rats and go back to living up trees, at least until the bat's showed up.
Even though I am judgemental enough to think anything with more eyes/ and or legs is a pest, I sometimes wonder if they think the same of us.

[Laz K.]

Thanks for your thoughts!

[Delmar Cooper]

Unless we act now the Giant Chicken Eating Frog will soon be extinct. Mañana, maybe.