BOILING A FROG - A Parable

BOILING A FROG

[A Parable]

by

Vikram Karve




I have heard this story somewhere about the delusion of learning from experience.

If you try to place a frog in a pot of boiling water the frog will immediately try to scramble out.

Now try this. Gently place the frog in a pot of water which is at normal room temperature and don’t scare him. The frog will stay put and remain in the water.

Now place the pot of water with the frog on a stove on a very slow fire so that the temperature of the water starts changing very very gradually so it’s hardly discernible.

You may observe something very interesting happening. As the temperature rises slowly the frog will do nothing. At first, the frog may show every sign of enjoying himself. As the temperature gradually increases, the frog will start becoming groggier and groggier until he is unable to climb out of the pot.

Though there is nothing restraining him, the frog will sit there and boil in the water.

Why?

Because the frog’s internal apparatus for sensing threats to survival is geared up to react to sudden changes in his environment, not to slow, gradual change.

It’s the same with us, isn’t it?



VIKRAM KARVE

http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com

http://www.ryze.com/go/karve

http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve

vikramkarve@sify.com

vikramkarve@hotmail.com