"A fox tumbled into a water tank and couldn’t get out. Eventually, along came a thirsty goat and, seeing the fox, asked him if the water was good. The fox jumped at the chance. He sang the praises of the water with all the eloquence at this command and urged the goat to come down. The goat was so thirsty that he went down without stopping to think and drank his fill. Then the two began to consider how they were to get up again.
‘I have a good idea,’ said the fox, ‘that is, if you are willing to do something to help us both. Be so kind as to place your forefeet against the wall, and hold your horns straight up. Then I can nip up, and pull you up too.’
The goat was glad enough to comply. The fox clambered nimbly over his haunches, shoulders, and horns, reached the edge of the tank, and began to make off. The goat complained that he had broken their pact. But the fox only came back to say, ‘You have more hairs in your beard than brains in your head, my friend. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone down into the tank without thinking how you were going to get up.’"
The fox is like so many people in this world who will do whatever it takes to get what they want. They don't care about your well-being. They will use tricky devices to lure you into situations that you believe that you can't get out of. They are sly, deceptive, and manipulative. At least they learned to be this way in the world. Most of our institutions are this way: the media is sly(FOX news), religions lie, doctors lie, pharmaceutical companies lie, parents lie, teachers lie, and so forth. Hay House bestselling author, and spiritual teacher Stuart Wilde in his audio CD set Journey Beyond Enlightenment says: "The only thing that's available is the lies." He made this statement out of the awareness all true knowledge is hidden. So the fox becomes important in this story on the journey of the goat. This fox we know in our lives has something valuable to teach us. The fox are the limiting beliefs that trap us on the journey in search for truth.
The goat is that part of us that believes in the lies of this world and complains about the lies that were told. He is the mind that asks questions because he doesn't believe his own answers. He is the mind that agrees to the illusion and promise of happiness and 'well'-being given by others. In our lives, we believe our partners when they tell us,"I love you." We believe authority figures who tell us they will make things better for us. We believe the media and advertisers who sell us products that persuade our thinking. We believe we can help the world because it will help us as well. We are thirsty for life and so we will do what it takes to save ourselves while we believe we are saving another.
How do you free yourself from being trapped in difficult circumstances? What methods do you use to escape from difficult situations?
Are you the fox who finds himself in a situation with others that is difficult and decide to manipulate others as part of the solution?
Or are you the goat who kindly offers to help others but find yourselves betrayed by your acts of kindness?
Are you willing to give up your freedom and awareness to satisfy your thirst?
Can you see how you can become trapped by living in survival mode?
Can you see how you allow yourself to believe the lies of others so you can get what you want while believing you are helping them get what they want?
When we don't trust our intuitions, we get stuck in circumstances that exacerbate our life challenges. We become a goat who is blind and falls for the trap in front of him or her. Or we live like a fox who believes we must lie our way through the trappings of life. When we believe what others are telling us, and take it as truth, we meet limitations.
I say if you're gonna be a goat, keep on moving. Tell the fox you will find water somewhere else. And you once you take care of yourself, tell him you will be back later with help!
