The overconfident mantis

A certain mantis¹ grew extraordinarily² stout³（结实的） and robust⁴. When he walked around in the backyard, brandishing⁵（挥舞） his two powerful forelimbs. He could easily catch some smaller insects such as locusts⁶, crickets, bugs⁷, etc. Since he was stronger and caught more smaller insects than other mantises⁸ and caught more smaller insects than other mantises, he felt that he should be the leader of his kingdom.

 

His authority was one day challenged by another also very strong mantis. After a bitter fighting, he defeated his challenger, who fled toward a road outside of the backyard and swiftly disappeared. The victor chased on the road, but he could not find the loser. He vented⁹ his anger on the smaller insects, continually killed two locusts and three crickets. And all the other smaller insects were scared and immediately escaped tracklessly.

 

The bloodthirsty mantis stood bravely on the road by himself. The joy of victory intoxicated¹⁰（沉醉，中毒） him into thinking that he might be the most indomitable creature in the world. Soon, he heard a strange sound from a distance. It was a one-wheel wooden cart pushed by a man coming toward his direction on the way.

 

The mantis had never seen a wooden cart. He stood on the road brandishing his two powerful large saws without retreat. He really believed that he could frighten away the unknown monster as he had defeated his challenger.

 

In another minute, the wheel of wooden cart rolled over the poor, self important, ignorant mantis, crushing his without the cart drive's even knowing.

 

In our society, there are many 'mantises'. They think they are more superior than others. They over-estimate their own ability, because they have never seen a "wooden cart."

 

A Chinese proverb says, "If you think you are the strongest, there is always somebody who is stronger than you; if you think your world is the largest, there is always another world which is larger than yours."

分享到：