The Ungrateful Scorpion

Henri Nouwen told a parable about an old man who used to meditate each day
be the Ganges River in India.

One morning he saw a scorpion floating on the water. When the scorpion
drifted near the old man he reached to rescue it but was stung by the
scorpion. A bit later he tried again and was stung again, the bite swelling
his hand painfully and giving him much pain. Another man passing by saw
what was happening and yelled at the mediator, "Hey, stupid old man, what's
wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for sake of an ugly, evil
creature. Don't you know you could kill yourself trying to save that
ungrateful scorpion?"

The old man calmly replied, "My friend, just because it is in the scorpion's
nature to sting, does not change my nature to save."