
A Shepherd-boy, who watched a flock of sheep near a village, brought out the villagers three or four times by crying out, “Wolf! Wolf!” and when his neighbors came to help him, laughed at them for their pains. The Wolf, however, did truly come at last. The Shepherd-boy, now really alarmed, shouted in an agony of terror: “Pray, do come and help me; the Wolf is killing the sheep;” but no one paid any heed to his cries, nor rendered any assistance. The Wolf, having no cause of fear, at his leisure lacerated or destroyed the whole flock.
The Moral
Lies will always come back to bite you, and in this story, it bit the Shepherd-boy and cost him his sheep. If you are known for the lies you tell, you’ll never be believed, even when you are telling the truth. There is no happiness for you if you are more likely to lie than be honest. It’s a lot of work to lie. You must keep all the lies in your head, never forgetting them, and trying not to be caught. It is overwhelming, exhausting, and a stealer of happiness.
The Takeaway
The Shepherd Boy and The Wolf by Aesop, or the name we probably most remember, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, is a fable as old as time. We grew up hearing it from our parents in hopes that it would teach us to always tell the truth. Always telling the truth is your best chance at true happiness, with one small exception. I DO believe that little white lies can make people feel better and serve a purpose. I don’t condone lying, but I’m not going to tell someone who is really proud of something that it’s awful, no matter what I think.
There’s really no believing a liar so be careful not to be labeled as one. Once you have been labeled as a liar, it’s tough to fight back from that. Even when you tell the truth, people won’t know whether they can believe you or not. You’ll be much happier in life if people see you as an honest person, full of integrity, rather than one who can’t be trusted as far as you can be thrown. Tell the truth, be happier. It’s as simple as that.