The Very Nature of Life

There once was a kind-hearted and generous farmer who labored day and night, producing corn for many of the neighboring towns. During the winter, although he did not produce corn, he would walk his corn fields, checking the soil and patiently waiting on the next growing season. He looked forward to the days when the corn would sprout. It gave him a sense of accomplishment he only would feel when seeing the green sprouting from the soil. It was new life at its finest.

One cold winter day, the farmer noticed a snake coiled up in one of his fields. The snake was nearly covered in ice and snow, and just its head and a portion of its body were visible to the farmer. He thought to himself the snake must be dead. He knelt down close to the snake, pausing and waiting momentarily to see if it would move. When the snake did not move, the farmer began brushing away some of the snow, revealing the snake to be a rattlesnake.

The farmer did not care at this point that the snake was poisonous; his loving heart could not bear to see the snake in this condition. Realizing the snake was barely alive, the farmer removed his winter coat, retrieved the snake and placed it into his coat, hoping to warm it enough that the reptile might live many more years.

It was only eighteen degrees outside, and the farmer decided he should bring the snake back to his barn for shelter. There, the snake would be out of the cold elements and could regain its strength. The farmer made his way back to his barn and proceeded to place the snake, still wrapped in the farmer's winter coat, on a hay barrel near the back of the barn.

The farmer customarily went about his day, hoping that maybe in the evening hours the snake would be in better health. Maybe the snake will have gone in search for food, or maybe the snake would maintain shelter in the barn, where it could remain warm and sheltered. The farmer decided he would check on the snake in a few hours, once it had time to recover a bit.

Hours later, just after 4 PM, the farmer made his way to the barn, hoping the snake was still alive. All of God's creatures were very important to the man, and he hoped he had saved the snake's life. Upon arriving in the barn, the farmer noticed his coat was in a slightly different position than when he had left. Rather than the coat being bunched up as he had placed it, it was in a more flattened position, as if nothing lay beneath it.

With high hopes, the farmer inched towards the back of the barn near the hay barrel where he had lay the snake just hours before. He could see the tip of the snake's tail coming out from one of the sleeves of his coat. The tail was not moving, and the farmer's hope began to fade. Slowly, he began to peel back the coat to reveal the gorgeous snake that lay underneath.

The snake slowly raised its head as the farmer removed the coat from its body. For a moment, the farmer was relieved, but then, with one quick movement, the snake lurched forward and struck the farmer between his eyes. Shocked, the farmer rubbed at the bite mark as he slumped to the ground.

The area between his eyes began burning so intensely the farmer just wished he had water to splash on his face. Soon, his entire body began to ache and his blood felt as if it were on fire. He was dying. The venom had now made its way through his entire body and he could feel his breathing becoming more and more labored.

Upon taking his last breath, the farmer muttered, "Learn from my mistakes, and do not pity the villain," and then he passed away next to the hay barrel where he had placed the snake, ultimately giving the snake somewhere to regain its strength and continue living its life.

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The very nature of things will always remain the same. No matter how well you treat someone or something, their nature will never change. Be cautious with who you trust, for it may cost you dearly. Some people will never change, just as wild creatures do not change no matter what your motives. Whether you are trying to save a snake or trying to save a scoundrel, they will not change their nature for the sake of you.

Even with you having good intentions, the person you are helping may not have the same heart as you. Ill intentions are sometimes in the nature of those who are evil, and they are not going to change their way of thinking just because you do something nice for them. As a matter of fact, ill intent usually thrives when we continue to give to evil-doers; people will sometimes take advantage of your kindness and will continue to manipulate and use you when you do not stand up for yourself.

It is not wrong to walk away when you need to. I do not believe anyone is expected to continue to allow people to walk on them, take advantage of them, or to be manipulated. I encourage you to rid negativity from your life, and only seek positive behavior and reinforcement from those around you. Let the weak-hearted go about their daily lives, and stay as far away as you can from people who bring you down.

When you sense bad motives, ill intention, or even the poor nature of something or someone, walk away. Staying present is bound to result in you getting hurt in the long run. Stay strong in your motives and always do the right thing; this will bring you comfort, but doing the right thing sometimes means walking away from things that could hurt you the most.