Here is one of my very favorites:
Once there was a frog and a scorpion who both wanted to get to the other side of a river. It was no problem for the frog. All he needed to do was jump in and swim to the other side. It was a different story for the scorpion, however, because he had no way to cross the river by himself.
Now, as a little background history, the frog and the scorpion had a rocky time together in times past. The scorpion had always been in some kind of trouble with the authorities, always instigating, always scheming, and always trying to pull the frog into his bad deeds. He always tried to put blame on the frog and always tried to sting him one way or another. Finally, the scorpion was captured and had to spend considerable time in jail for all the crimes he committed.
So now that scorpion was free again, the frog was on high alert. He remembered well the bad times caused by the scorpion and he wanted nothing to do with him. But the scorpion seemed like he had undergone a change of heart during his time in jail. He seemed meek and mild and well mannered.
He humbly asked the frog for help in crossing the river. “Say, Frog, would you be willing to allow me to ride on your back across the river?” he asked earnestly. The frog was surprised. This was very different from the demanding, “Do as I say or else I will hurt you!”
Still, the frog was not convinced. “Are you kidding?” the frog answered. “You’ll sting me and I’ll die! No, I won’t help you.”
“But wait, “ the scorpion pleaded. “Just think. If I sting you and you die, then I would die, too! So why would I do something that would hurt both of us?”
The frog thought about it. The scorpion did make sense. Besides, he also seemed like a changed being. Finally, after much hesitation, the frog said reluctantly, “Ok, do you promise not to sting me?”
Of course I promise,” the scorpion replied, and happily jumped on the frog’s back. So off they went into the river. But, about halfway across, the scorpion began to feel an irresistible urge to rising from deep within. He wanted to sting the frog! He lifted his stinger up high, and got ready to sting. Last second, he remembered that he himself would perish too, if he were to sting the frog.
But again, the urge came back, this time with such a vengeance that he barely caught himself in the last second. He had to grab his stinger and literally hold himself back, with all the strength he could muster. He knew that if he gave in, he would surely die.
After they were almost within reach of the shore, the urge to sting was too much for the scorpion, and, not having much experience with being disciplined, he suddenly, without any warning, stung the frog. Oh, the relief! How good that second felt, to sink that stinger into the frog!
But immediately he had to bear the consequences. “Why did you do that?” the frog exclaimed in stunned amazement. “Do you realize what you’ve done? Now we are both going to die! Why? You promised!”
“I know,” the scorpion said. “But why?” the astonished frog continued to ask. “Why?”
“I am sorry frog. I couldn’t help it,” gurgled the scorpion, sinking below the water. “It’s just my nature.”
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