Don't talk to the gray wolf - Interaction Fable - Mind Growth Pocket Book

Author: Chen Peng / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features:
A bat with no friends
A long time ago, birds and beasts unknowingly had a conflict anded a prolonged war. After a fierce battle, the birds won. The bat appeared on the side of the birds: "Hi, everyone! It's amazing that you defeated those savage beasts! I have wings and can fly—I'm a partner of the birds!" The birds needed to strengthen their ranks, so they were very happy to welcome the bat to join their team.
However, the bat was very timid. Whenever a battle broke out, it would hide far away and watch the fight from the sidelines. Another battle ended, and the beasts won over the birds. The beasts celebrated their victory enthusiastically. At this moment, the bat suddenly appeared on the side of the beasts: "Hi, congratulations to all of you! It's really impressive that you defeated the birds! I'm related to the mice, and I'm part of the beasts!" The beasts happily accepted this new companion.
And so, whenever the birds won, the bat joined the birds; whenever the beasts won, the bat allied with the beasts. Finally, one day, the war ended completely, and the beasts and birds shook hands and made peace. At this point, everyone also saw the true nature of the bat.
When the bat came to the birds again, the birds unceremoniously drove it away. When the bat came to the side of the beasts, the beasts also unhesitatingly drove it away. From then on, the bat could only fly secretly in the dark night.
Reflection and Contemplation
From the description of the bird-beast war in the story, we cannot know who was right and who was wrong. But the behavior of this bat in the story is something we find hard to accept. The bat had no stance—whichever side won, it would stand with them. It was fickle, allying with the birds one moment and the beasts the next. When its true colors were exposed, it became an outcast that no one wanted to accept.
We believe that in our real lives, no one would want to be friends with such a person. This kind of person only cares about their own interests. When friendship conflicts with personal interests, they will abandon friendship. Or, they treat friendship as a means to protect their own interests, without understanding the true meaning of friendship or being willing to sacrifice for it.
Perhaps we might think, the bat wasn't really that easy to handle either. In that special period, to save itself, it had to do so! In reality, the bat had other choices, such as acting as an ambassador of peace when the birds and beasts shook hands and made peace. If the bat had made contributions in this way, it would have become everyone's friend and would not have ended up being ignored.
In real-life interactions, we might also encounter situations where two friends have differing opinions, leaving us torn between them. What should we do then? P2-4