Doing Silly Tricks

There was a small bear that lived in the woods with his mother. His mother taught him to find food: grubs in logs, berries on the bushes, salmon in the stream etc.

One day, a traveling circus was camped near the woods and they trapped the small bear and took him away in a cage. The trainer taught the bear many tricks. Every time bear properly performed the tricks he was rewarded with treats. The little bear became used to the people and his captive life.

One day, the trainer accidentally left the cage door unlocked and the little bear wandered off. The little bear laid down and slept for the night. When he awoke, the circus was gone. He discovered that he was right back in the woods where he was born and he was hungry. So he stood on his head and waited for food, but nothing came. He tried rolling over, but still nothing. He tried all the tricks he had learned but nothing. The other animals of the forest watched all this with quite some amusement.

Finally, a squirrel asked him what he was doing. The little bear told the squirrel that he was hungry and was doing tricks for food. The squirrel showed him a berry bush and told him its time to stop doing silly tricks and start taking care of himself.

What’s the moral?
Just like the bear, we learn “stupid tricks” while growing up that don’t serve our current situation. We need to recognize them and let go of them

Thanks to Boy Scout Trail

About ScoutMaster

Eagle Scout - January 1974 - Troop 287 - Mechanicsburg, PA {***} Vigil Honor - June 1980 - Camp Hidden Valley, PA
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