Parable of Lion and Wolf:
Long time ago, God put two flocks of sheep on grassland: one group at north and one group at south. God also gave them two types of native predator: Lion and wolf.
God told the sheep: "If you choose wolf, I shall give you one, and it's allowed to bite you at its will. If you choose lion, I shall give you two, and you are allowed to choose anyone from the two of them to stay on the grassland, and you can replace it at any time.”
So, the question is: If you are one of the sheep, what will you choose? A wolf or two lions?
It's easy to make your choice, right? Remember your choice, and continue with our story.
The sheep at the south thought that lions are more fiercely than wolf, so they picked a wolf.
The sheep at the north thought that although lions are more fiercely than wolf, but they have the option to choose, so they took two lions.
The wolf started eating the sheep once it entered the herd at the south. The wolf was smaller and it had smaller appetite. One sheep is enough to appease its hunger for days. So the sheep only were hunted once a few days.
The sheep at the north chose a lion and leave another one with God. The lion started eating sheep once it entered the herd at the north. The lion was more fiercely than the wolf and it had much larger appetite. It needed to eat a sheep each day to keep its stomach full. So the sheep is hunted everyday, and they were very afraid.
They asked God to replace the lion. But the lion that stayed with the God has not been eaten anything and it was very hungry. It pounced on the sheep and bite like crazy. The sheep had to run for their life everyday until they didn't have time to eat.
The sheep at the south were grateful that they made the right choice, and they laughed at the sheep at the north for being stupid and chose the wrong predator.
The sheep at the north repented for their choice. They complained to God, and asked God to change their native predator to a wolf. But God said: “No. Once the native predator was chosen, it cannot be changed anymore. You must live with it forever. Your only option is to choose between the two lions.” The sheep at the north have to keep rotating the two lions.
But both lions were the same. Both of them showed no mercy. No matter how they rotate the lions, their situation was always much more miserable than the sheep at the south. At last, they stop rotating. They kept a lion full all the time while letting another one suffered in hunger. They only replaced the lions when the suffering lion was dying.
After a long time of hunger, the suffering lion realized that: Even they are much stronger than the sheep, but its fate is controlled by the sheep. The sheep can send him back to God anytime, and let him suffer and die in hunger.
So it treated the sheep very nice, it only ate the dead and the old sheep and it wouldn't eat the healthy sheep. The sheep felt very surprise and happy. Some of the younger sheep even suggested letting the suffering lion to stay forever. But one of the elder reminded them: “The lion treats us good because it is afraid that we’ll send it back to the God. If we let another lion die, we'll left with no choice and the suffering lion will return to its nature and starts hunting us again.” The sheep agreed with the elder. To prevent another lion starve to death, they replaced it after a few weeks.
And the lion also realized that its fate is controlled by the sheep. In order to stay longer on the grassland, the lion tried its best to please the sheep. Another lion felt so sad that it had to suffer hunger again.
After experiencing such a hard time, the sheep at the north finally can enjoy themselves.
At the mean time, the situation of the sheep at the south became worse and worse because the wolf had no competitor and the sheep couldn't replace it. It started to act wildly. It had to kill ten sheep everyday. It didn't eat sheep anymore. It only drank their blood. The sheep were not allowed to make a sound because they would be killed by the wolf if they do so.
In the end, the sheep at the south could only bemoan: “We should choose the lions in the first place......”
