Keep It Real; Or, Delusion of Self - No. 106. The Wolf and His Shadow - The Essential Aesop? - Back to Basics Abridgment Series
Gregg Zegarelli Esq.
Managing Shareholder at Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." ~ Leonardo da Vinci (Adopted by Steve Jobs)
________________________
A Wolf?left his lair during the day.?
As he walked along hunting, he saw his shadow, which was very large.?So, he thought to himself, “My, my, I am a great wolf, and look?how large I am; I am as large as a lion and could, if I like, challenge?him as king.”?
Just then, as the Wolf was admiring himself, a Lion?saw him and gave him a swat with his Lion’s claw and made a fine meal of him at his leisure.
Moral of the Story: Our desire?for greatness deludes?us in our capabilities.
________________________
Introduction ?- The Essential Aesop -?Epilogue
Related Articles:?The Distinguished Napoleon - The Business of Aesop? No. 2 - The Frog and the Ox ;?Self-Validation and Envy - No. 2. The Frog and the Ox - The Essential Aesop? - Back to Basics Abridgment Series ;?Know Thyself First, Then Context - No. 56. The Ass and the Lapdog - The Essential Aesop? - Back to Basics Abridgment Series ;?Hiring on Hope - The Business of Aesop? No. 90 - The Cat-Maiden ;?Our Core Nature Persists - No. 90. The Cat Maiden - The Essential Aesop? - Back to Basics Abridgment Series ; I Wish I Were You; Maybe Not, I'll Just Be Me - No. 91. The Horse and the Ass - The Essential Aesop? - Back to Basics Abridgment Series ; Know Your Limits - No. 104. The Eagle and the Jackdaw - The Essential Aesop? - Back to Basics Abridgment Series ; The Great Masquerade - Stand for America?
________________________
Why We Loved It:??Once again, Aesop teaches about delusion of self. We saw forms of it early in the series with the Frog who blew himself up (literally) and the Jackdaw who got his wings clipped. [1 , 2] But, here, Aesop brings a profound variation on the theme.
We recognize that Aesop could have used any of his characters to demonstrate the consequences of self-delusion, including his go-to generally foolish Ass. But, Aesop is careful in choosing characters as an exceptional teacher.
Sometimes, Aesop casts against type, sometimes he casts in type. Here, Aesop uses his Wolf. His archetypical vicious, mean, angry, self-interested, and always hungry Wolf. His predator Wolf who desires, wants, and needs to be fed. Sometimes food is just food. Sometimes the food is a metaphor within a metaphor, and the food represents greed, lust or any desire that craves to be satisfied, whether or not a physical bodily need.
But, even beyond the choice of the vicious Wolf as his character, Aesop introduces something even more interesting to this story, being his pseudo-character: the Shadow.
The Shadow is something created by the existence of the Wolf, but it is not the Wolf. The Shadow is such as a mirror that only imperfectly reflects something else, all the while reversing and distorting it. Thusly, the Shadow is a metaphor within a metaphor, representing external things we create that we think are ourselves, but are not ourselves; to wit: our reputation, other peoples' opinions of us, the car we drive, social media Likes, and similar externals.
The Wolf sees his Shadow, which is only a distorted two-dimensional outline of himself, and he mistakes it for Truth. And, while preoccupied with his deluded gaze, the Majestic Lion swats the Wolf with a dose of Reality. Foolish Wolf—foolish vicious, mean, angry, self-interested, and always hungry Wolf.
领英推荐
All of Aesop's fables teach us. But, this fable of the Wolf and his Shadow might even cause us—perhaps should even cause us—some trepidation.
Self-delusion is the antithesis to the foundation of all of Wisdom; to wit: "Know Thyself."
"You are not someone else's opinion of you." ~Taylor Swift
"This above all: To thine own self be true." ~William Shakespeare,?Hamlet
"Fantasies abound, but reality always has a way to let you know it's around." ~grz
"Know thyself."?~Socrates
________________________
*?Gregg Zegarelli , Esq., earned both his Bachelor of Arts Degree and his Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His dual major areas of study were History from the College of Liberal Arts and Accounting from the Business School (qualified to sit for the CPA examination), with dual minors in Philosophy and Political Science. He has enjoyed Adjunct Professorships in the Duquesne University Graduate Leadership Master Degree Program (The Leader as Entrepreneur; Developing Leadership Character Through Adversity) and the University of Pittsburgh Law School (The Anatomy of a Deal). He is admitted to various courts throughout the United States of America.
Gregg Zegarelli , Esq.,?is Managing Shareholder of?Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC .?Gregg is nationally rated as "superb" and has more than 35 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes, including startups,?INC. 500, and publicly traded companies.?He is author of?One: The Unified Gospel of Jesus ,?and?The Business of Aesop ? article series, and co-author with his father,?Arnold Zegarelli , of?The Essential Aesop: For Business, Managers, Writers and Professional Speakers .?Gregg is a frequent lecturer, speaker and faculty for a variety of educational and other institutions.?
? 2013 Arnold Zegarelli? and?Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. ?Gregg can be contacted through?LinkedIn .?Arnold Zegarelli ?can be contacted through?Facebook .
#GreggZegarelli #Aesop #Wisdom #Zegarelli #Aesop_Wolf #Aesop_Lion #Aesop_Shadow #Desire #Hope #Delusion #VisionsOfGrandeur #SelfReflection #DelusionsOfGrandeur #KnowThyself #SelfImportance #BusinessOfAesop #TheEssentialAesop #TheEssentialAesop_106 #GRZ_98_106