The One-Eyed Doe

A Doe had had the misfortune to lose one of her eyes, and could not see any one approaching her on that side. So to avoid any danger she always used to feed on a high cliff near the sea, with her sound eye looking towards the land. By this means she could see whenever the hunters approached her on land, and often escaped by this means. But the hunters found out that she was blind of one eye, and hiring a boat rowed under the cliff where she used to feed and shot her from the sea.






Moral:

"You cannot escape your fate."




My words:
We are all born for a purpose. We are already given labels and we just need to do our part. Yes, we are free to do what we want to do but, we can't say no to what we NEED to do. No matter how many crossroads in life you take, you will end up in your destined ending. Just like dying, no matter how much you pay for medicines and operations to save your life, it's worthless, you still die.

The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey

A Man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market. As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them and said: "You fools, what is a Donkey for but to ride upon?" So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their way. But soon they passed a group of men, one of whom said: "See that lazy youngster, he lets his father walk while he rides." So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on himself. But they hadn't gone far when they passed two women, one of whom said to the other: "Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little son trudge along." Well, the Man didn't know what to do, but at last he took his Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to the town, and the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The men said: "Aren't you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey of yoursu and your hulking son?" The Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They thought and they thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied the donkey's feet to it, and raised the pole and the donkey to their shoulders. They went along amid the laughter of all who met them till they came to Market Bridge, when the Donkey, getting one of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge, and his fore-feet being tied together he was drowned. "That will teach you," said an old man who had followed them: "Please all, and you will please none."




That emphasized thingy is the moral.




My words: 
You can't please all the people around you. It is inevitable that there are some people who hates you no matter how good you are. Even other people likes you, there would be someone who will find flaws in you.  Instead of pleasing all, maybe we could just use our time to do meaningful things in life. Let's just ignore what they say because it only gives us frustration. As the saying goes, "We are not born to fit in."

The Crow and the Pitcher

A Crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a Pitcher which had once been full of water; but when the Crow put its beak into the mouth of the Pitcher he found that only very little water was left in it, and that he could not reach far enough down to get at it. He tried, and he tried, but at last had to give up in despair. Then a thought came to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped it into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. At last, at last, he saw the water mount up near him, and after casting in a few more pebbles he was able to quench his thirst and save his life.

Moral:
 Little by little does the trick.




My words:
We can't always get what we want. But if we want these things so bad, we always find a way to get 'em. Just like the crow who made use of the pebbles to help him drink. We may not get what we want in a snap but a little patience and perseverance, I think, can help in taking a step closer to what we want. As they say, if there's a will, there's a way.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest. "Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?" "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.



 Moral: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.


My words:
Some people like to waste their time on useless things. They just want to have fun. they don't think about what might happen next and they just rely on other people. I know that we only have a short life and we need to spend this life with fun, but let's live every second of this life doing meaningful things and at the same time enjoying it.

The Big Leap

Two frogs fell into a deep pit, and though they tried very hard they could not hop out. Their comrades peered down from the top and croaked in sympathy. “We feel for you,” they shouted, “ but there’s no way you can get out from there!” On hearing this, one of the frogs lost heart, and died of fear. The other frog was deaf. He thought his comrades were shouting encouragement. Emboldened by their faith in him, he gathered up all his reserves of energy in one great jump that landed him out of the pit. Moral: Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another. Reflection:  Words are such powerful weapons. They can kill a person's heart and soul. But good words can be great allies. It gives motivation and it helps us fight for what we want. Just like in the story, we need to encourage a person with words to make him or her feel that she still has importance. Let's use our freedom in speaking in a good way. I've also realized that this fable tells us to make those mean words from other people be our better motivation to what we want to do. Instead of sulking in a corner and give up because of those people's comments, show them that you are not worthy to be pulled down.

The Cat and the Fox

One day a cat and a fox were having a conversation. The fox, who was a conceited creature, boasted how clever she was. 'Why, I know at least a hundred tricks to get away from our mutual enemies, the dogs,' she said.

'I know only one trick to get away from dogs,' said the cat. 'You should teach me some of yours!'

'Well, maybe someday, when I have the time, I may teach you a few of the simpler ones,' replied the fox airily.

Just then they heard the barking of a pack of dogs in the distance. The barking grew louder and louder - the dogs were coming in their direction! At once the cat ran to the nearest tree and climbed into its branches, well out of reach of any dog. 'This is the trick I told you about, the only one I know,' she called down to the fox. 'Which one of your hundred tricks are you going to use?'

The fox sat silently under the tree, wondering which trick she should use. Before she could make up her mind, the dogs arrived. They fell upon the fox and tore her to pieces.

Moral: A single plan that works is better than a hundred doubtful plans.

My Words: 

I experience this EVERYTIME I need to finish a project or something. I have lots of nice plans but they never get to work. I  would always end up passing works that are so simple and common. It is because I always change my mind. I always think of what ifs that makes me confused and change my plans again and again and again and it results to messy,messy outcomes. I can't stick to one perfect plan for doing my schoolwork, even my schedule gets messed up! 

The Three Fishes

Once, three fishes lived in a pond. One evening, some fishermen passed by the pond and saw the fishes. 'This pond is full of fish', they told each other excitedly. 'We have never fished here before. We must come back tomorrow morning with our nets and catch these fish!' So saying, the fishermen left.

When the eldest of the three fishes heard this, he was troubled. He called the other fishes together and said, 'Did you hear what the fishermen said? We must leave this pond at once. The fishermen will return tomorrow and kill us all!' 

      The second of the three fishes agreed. 'You are right', he said. 'We must leave the pond.'

But the youngest fish laughed. 'You are worrying without reason', he said. 'We have lived in this pond all our lives, and no fisherman has ever come here. Why should these men return? I am not going anywhere - my luck will keep me safe.'

The eldest of the fishes left the pond that very evening with his entire family. The second fish saw the fishermen coming in the distance early next morning and left the pond at once with all his family. The third fish refused to leave even then.

The fishermen arrived and caught all the fish left in the pond. The third fish's luck did not help him - he too was caught and killed.

The fish who saw trouble ahead and acted before it arrived as well as the fish who acted as soon as it came both survived. But the fish who relied only on luck and did nothing at all died. So also in life.


Moral: Don't just trust in luck, move!


My Words:
It's funny how people say, "Oh, let's just rely on our luck." They expect good things to happen to them yet they don't even do things that could help them take a step closer to what they want. We make our own destiny, our own fate, our own luck. We must not rely on superstitions. Let's face reality, we don't get what we want if we do nothing. Let's not be like Juan Tamad who waited for the guava to fall. 

The Bear and the Two Travelers

Two Friends were traveling together, when a Bear suddenly appeared before them. One of them, thinking of his own safety climbed up quickly into a tree, without trying to help his friend do the same. The other, not having time to hide, fell flat on the ground, without moving at all, as if he were dead. The Bear came up and smelled him all over, and after a while, thinking he was dead, walked away. When the danger was gone, the other Traveler climbed down from the tree, and, laughing at his friend asked him: 
“What did the bear whisper in your ear?”
“He gave me this advice," the other replied. "Never travel with a friend who leaves you in the lurch." 

Moral: Misfortune reveals the true nature of friends.




My words:
We are lucky if we have friends who are there to support us or help us stand up when  we're about to give up. Some people have lots of friends but the trusted ones can be counted. Some are just great pretenders who only think about what you can give to them but do not think of how they can repay your kindness . As a lesson, let's choose our friends well and also, be a selfless friend to others.

The Hares and the Frogs

The Hares, persecuted by the other beasts and afraid even of their own shadows, had a council to decide what to do. The conclusion they came to was to die rather than live on with this shame. So, they went to a pond, determined to drown themselves.
But when they were just about to jump, some Frogs who had been sitting on a water lily, startled by the noise they made, rushed to the deep water for safety. 
“Look,” cried a Hare, “there are creatures who are even afraid of us, so things are not so bad, after all. We don’t need to die any more.”


Moral: However unfortunate we may think we are, there is always someone worse off than ourselves.

My words:
Do you ever think about how miserable your life is? Just think about it again.

 I have also experienced having this feeling of giving up because I always think that my life is the most miserable life EVER. I always fail to meet up with the expectations of other people. When I encounter a problem or face such great humiliation, I want to run away from the world and hide my face forever. But I start to think, why hide? I'm lucky that I live in this world having family and friends beside me who loves me for what I am. There are other people out there who experience worse situations like being abandoned by parents, being abused, being discriminated in the society or at school or being bullied. At least I still have something to stand up for. I'm also lucky to live with a home, enough food, and a good education unlike those kids out there who dig for their own food with no parents to help them and living inside boxes.