Another of Aesop's fables against pride and self-confidence

Another of Aesop's fables tells of a milkmaid who had been out to milk the cows and was returning from the field with the shining milk pail balanced nicely on her head. As she walked along, her pretty head was busy with plans for the days to come. 

"This good, rich milk," she mused, "will give me plenty of cream to churn. The butter I make I'll take to market, and with the money I get for it I'll buy a lot of eggs for hatching. How nice it will be when they are all hatched and the yard is full of fine young chicks. Then when May day comes I'll sell them, and with the money I'll buy a lovely new dress to wear to the fair. All the young men will look at me. They'll come and try to court me - but I'll very quickly send them about their business!" 

As she thought of how she would settle that matter, she tossed her head scornfully, and down fell the pail of milk to the ground. And all the milk flowed out, and with it vanished butter and eggs and chicks and new dress and all the milkmaid's pride.

This is Peter again isn't it? He can picture himself speaking up fearlessly for Jesus and not being at all afraid to testify. He can even imagine dying for Jesus if necessary. In reality his pride is his undoing. The other disciples are no better.

Two Aesop's fables against self-confidence

Among Aesop's famous fables is the story of the hare and the tortoise. There is some argument about what it teaches but certainly the hare's misplaced self-confidence is part of his problem. There are various versions but most begin with the hare mocking the tortoise's feet, prompting the tortoise to challenge the hare to a race. The hare says, 'Those are just words. Race against me, and you'll see!'. He then asks who will mark out the track and serve as umpire and the tortoise suggests the fox as being honest and intelligent. When the time for the race has been decided on, the tortoise does not delay, but immediately takes off down the race course. The hare, however, lays down to take a nap, confident in the speed of his feet. Then, when the hare eventually makes his way to the finish line, he finds the tortoise has already won. 

A lesser known fable makes the same point, among others - that of the fox and the cat. A fox was boasting to a cat of its clever devices for escaping its enemies. "I have a whole bag of tricks," he said, "which contains a hundred ways of escaping my enemies." "I have only one," said the cat. "But I can generally manage with that." Just at that moment they heard the cry of a pack of hounds coming towards them, and the cat immediately scampered up a tree and hid herself in the boughs. "This is my plan," said the cat. "What are you going to do?" The fox thought first of one way, then of another, and while he was debating, the hounds came nearer and nearer, and at last the fox in his confusion was caught up by the hounds and soon killed by the huntsmen.