"An ass and a cock were in a straw-yard together when a lion, desperate from hunger, approached the spot. He was about to spring upon the ass, when the cock (to the sound of whose voice the lion, it is said, has a single aversion) crowed loudly, and the lion fled away as fast as he could. The ass, observing his trepidation at the mere crowing of the cock summoned courage to attack him, and galloped after him for that purpose. He had run no long distance, when the lion, turning about, seized him and tore him to pieces.
"False confidence often leads into danger."
--Aesop
What world leader, upon hearing such a fable, would not immediaetly thereupon behead the messenger from sheer indignation? And yet, certain world leaders would do well to learn such a lesson. I think in particular of our own not-so-beloved, yet ever fearless, leader here in the U.S.
That a dangerous enemy fears us, should not thereby lead us to believe that the time for pursuit is at hand. That an enemy is so easily scared does not signify that an enemy is so easily defeated. For it is in our most fearful moments that we become the most destructive. This tends to be an attribute common to all men--a note for asses.*
*Yes, the last four words were a direct theft from Nietzsche.
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