Once upon a time, there was a Stag with only one eye. Although it had one eye less, it lived very cautiously. It came to the seashore to graze, keeping a watchful eye on its surroundings every day.
It kept its one eye facing the land, because hunters might appear there. The eye it couldn’t see with was always facing the sea. It felt that the sea was safe and that no danger would come from there.
Many days passed without incident. The Stag began to let its guard down, thinking that this was a safe place.
An unexpected turn of events: a deadly blow from the sea
One day, a hunter was sailing by and spotted the Stag from afar. He quietly took out his bow and arrow, aimed at the Stag, and shot.
The Stag couldn’t see the threat coming from the sea, so it was completely unprepared. The arrow pierced its heart, and the Stag fell to the ground.
As it was about to die, it whispered, “It’s all my fault for trusting my own judgment. I was always on guard against dangers that might come from the land, but I never expected the real danger to come from the place I thought was the safest.”
The truth behind the story
This story sounds simple, but it reveals a profound truth: the things we worry about may not necessarily happen, and the places we think are safe may actually hide greater risks.
This Stag was not stupid, but it relied too much on its experience and judgment. It thought that as long as it kept its eyes on the land, it would be safe, but it ignored the threat from another direction.
What can we learn from this?
- Don’t just look at one side, think about the issue comprehensively
The Stag’s problem was that it only paid attention to one direction and ignored other possibilities. The same is true in our lives. We cannot only see the familiar or habitual side of things, but must learn to look at issues from multiple angles. - Confidence is good, but overconfidence can be dangerous
The Stag was cautious at first, but over time, it became confident and believed that it had mastered the rules of safety. In fact, the world is changing, and past successes may not apply to the present. - Danger often arises when you think you are safest
Often, people are most prone to mistakes when they let their guard down. The more you think “everything is fine,” the more you need to remind yourself to stay alert. - Learn to adapt to change to truly protect yourself
The hunter appeared from the sea and shattered the Stag’s perception of a “safe zone.” We should also always be prepared to face unknown changes instead of clinging to old ways of thinking.
Summary: Look at the world from a different angle to avoid invisible dangers
The story of the one-eyed Stag teaches us that sometimes our weaknesses are not physical, but mental. We are easily misled by our own experiences and tend to overlook situations we deem “impossible.”
In life, we should remain vigilant like the Stag, but more importantly, we must learn to think from different perspectives, accept new information, and continuously adjust our judgment. Only then can we truly avoid those “unexpected” dangers.
