Silver Tongues, Feet of Clay, and Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
How to Never Be Fooled Again
People in our lives will always disappoint us. They will show their most human sides at the most inopportune moments. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with that — none of us are perfect. We can and should forgive when the situation calls for it, if for no other reason than to give ourselves practice in being a decent and compassionate person.
But there is a difference between someone not living up to an ideal we had of them and someone who is not what they appear to be at all. There is a difference in finding out about an incident from someone’s past that is unfavorable and finding out that their entire life is a fiction. There is a difference in being surprised by a fact and being blindsided by an ugly and unforgivable truth.
What We Can Learn From Fairy Tales
In fairy tales, the bad guys always give themselves away quite easily. Evil lurks in dark shadows, wicked witches are always ugly and trying to poison you, and wolves will try to eat you when given half a chance.
Everybody knows this stuff, yet Little Red Riding Hood lingers far too long at the bedside questioning a wolf dressed in her grandmother’s gown, rather than running when she sees his tell-tale ears…
