Lessons from the dog and the frogs

Post 7 There is always something special in a person


A trader was selling a pile of tiger bones by the road side surrounded by curious bystanders. There was an endless discussion on whether the bones were really that of a tiger. The trader was trying his best to convince the crowd. At that time, an old man came and inspected the bones. He then told the trader that he had to go back to his house a stone’s throw away, and call his teacher to come and check the bones.

When the old man came back to the scene, the crowd was surprised that a dog was brought along. The dog with its keen sense of smell scented about the bones. Suddenly the dog shuddered and urinated. The crowd was very surprised at the reaction of the dog towards the bones.

The old man immediately told the amazing crowd that the bones were those of a tiger. The involuntary urination occurred because the dog was frightened of the tiger bones. The dog had the instinct and ability to differentiate the tiger bones from other bones. It had the special gift which its master, the old man, did not have. In this case, no DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) test was needed to find out the authenticity of the tiger bones. The dog could do it just by smelling them. This also explains why many wild animals hunt by scent.


In another instance, we may remember the gigantic earthquake that struck Sichuan province in China on Monday, 12 May 2008 and killed tens of thousands of people. A few days before the earthquake, unusual swarms of frogs could be seen roaming the streets of cities in the area. This prompted many people to believe that the abnormal behaviour of the frogs had signified an imminent major natural disaster. Unfortunately, this omen was not taken seriously by the authority concerned to forewarn the public. The frogs had sent a very clear signal of an imminent disaster.

Thus, the lesson which we can learn from the dog and the frogs is that they have inborn talents. Similarly there is always an innate ability in a person which makes him or her special, be it the innate sense of fun, innate kindness or a special talent.


18 August 2009