Phaedrus - Wolf and crane

He who demands payment for a service from the wicked errs twice:
First, because he helps those who do not deserve it, and then because he can no longer get away with it
without harm.
The wolf, while swallowing, had stuck a bone in his throat; not being able to stand the pain, he began to lure the animals, one by one, with the mirage of a reward, so that they would get rid of that torment. In the end the crane was persuaded by force of oaths and, entrusting to the wolf's throat the entire length of his neck, he performed the dangerous operation. At the claim of the agreed prize the wolf
said: "You are really ungrateful; you managed to take the head out of my mouth and you still come to ask for the reward".

[ Qui pretium meriti ab improbis desiderat,
Bis peccat: primum quoniam indignos adiuvat;
Impune abire deinde quia iam non potest.
Os devoratum fauce cum haereret lupi,
Magno dolore victus coepit singulos
Illicere pretio, ut illud extraherent malum.
Tandem persuasa est iure iurando gruis,
Gulaeque credens colli longitudinem,
Periculosam fecit medicinam lupo.
Pro quo cum pactum flagitaret praemium:
«Ingrata es» inquit «ore quae e nostro caput
Incolume abstuleris et mercedem postules» ]
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KleinesSinchen
Don't even think that I'll write about ungratefulness. That would be… what is gets described with "Lol, what a wall of text!" nowadays.
 
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Nikokaro
"what a wall of text!"

Actually, I've never heard that expression. :unsure:I don't understand what it has to do with ingratitude. Excuse my ignorance. :)
 
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KleinesSinchen
It has nothing to do with ingratitude.
Wall of text is a (in my opinion stupid) expression used when somebody wrote a lot. Although technically referring to a long text without any formatting, paragraphs or even without punctuation (only text looking like a brick wall), some people reply to longer texts with things like:
  • "Lol, what a wall of text!"
  • "Need tl;dr"
  • "I'm not going to read through this, lmao!"
What I wanted to say is: If I start writing about this topic (ungratefulness), it could become a book.

For stupid internet language: → urbandictionary.com
The explanations aren't serious, much of it makes no sense and it is NO actual dictionary (my point of view). But it will suffice for decoding things like abbreviations, acronyms or nonsense like "Wall of text."
 
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Nikokaro
You're too pessimistic. The best reward for a good deed is internal, psychological. It's having a clean and serene conscience.

As for me, the good that I have been able to do has always come back to me in another form. However, one must act without expecting anything in return. In Japanese they say "mu shotoku" (without hope of profit). :)
 
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KleinesSinchen
Nikokaro said:
You're too pessimistic. The best reward for a good deed is internal, psychological. It's having a clean and serene conscience.

As for me, the good that I have been able to do has always come back to me in another form. However, one must act without expecting anything in return. In Japanese they say "mu shotoku" (without hope of profit). :)
Click to expand...
Somehow there was no notification for this. Happens all the time in blogs and since comments do not bump blogs anymore… it means manually checking entries.

Okay, let's go:
Yes, you got me triggered with this story. Can't deny a good amount of cynicism. But I've never seen myself as a pessimist, just as a realist. It is actual experience of life. My final decision on that topic is:
No more social contacts in real life!
(Internet contacts are not a replacement for real friends, but they can't do any harm)
​
As for me, the good that I have been able to do has always come back to me in another form.
Click to expand...
^^^^
If this is the case for you, that is wonderful! (No, that is no sarcasm.) Not everybody is that lucky.

Even if I hypothetically would fully agree – which I can't – with "Don't expect anything in return.", this doesn't justify ungratefulness in the sense of doing bad things to your benefactor (helper, not only in financial sense). Getting taken advantage of and even getting aggrieved as a service in return goes beyond getting nothing. Exactly like in the story: The Crane should not only get no reward, no he is suddenly the one that should be grateful for not getting killed. That turns everything topsy-turvy.

Why doing something good for people? To get a kick in the crotch and a punch in the face?
 
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Nikokaro
KleinesSinchen said:
Why doing something good for people? To get a kick in the crotch and a punch in the face?
Click to expand...
To do good to someone and, not only receive nothing, but even receive evil back, is truly a cruel thing, and in truth very rare in reality. In my life I have never witnessed such things, but it can happen. These are the worst people; cruel, cowardly, remorseless and irredeemable.
It happened a few days ago of a priest stabbed by a homeless man, to whom he had given shelter and food. Thank God, they are rare cases. 98% of the people who receive good, are grateful for it, and repay not materially, but at least affectively.
 

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