Hare was very popular with the other animals in the jungle who all claimed to be her friends. One day she heard the hounds approaching her and hoped to escape them through the aid of her Friends. So she went to the horse and asked him to carry her away from the hounds on his back. But Horse declined, stating that he had important work to do for his master. “I am sure,” he said, your other friends will come to your assistance.”
She then approached the bull, and hoped that he would repel the hounds with his horns. Bull replied: “I am very sorry, but I have an appointment with a lady; but I feel sure that our friend Goat will do what you want.”
The goat, however, feared that his back might be hurt if he carried Hare. The ram, he felt sure, was the proper friend to ask for help. So she went to the ram and told him the case. The ram replied: “Another time, my dear friend. I do not like to interfere on the present occasion, as hounds have been known to eat sheep as well as hares.”
The Hare then applied, the last hope, to the calf, who regretted that he was unable to help her, as he did not want to take the responsibility upon himself, as so many older people than himself had declined the task. By this time the hounds were getting closer, and the Hare took to her heels and luckily escaped.
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This story really got me thinking. At times are we just so popular with people around us but have no actual friends? Are the people in our lives concerned enough to put away what is ‘important’ and handle us in times of crisis? I am sure you will agree with me that most people who actually have many friends or those who seem to be really popular, barely have genuine friends. We may have friends on social media who give us the likes and comments we want but none is present to actually affirm and talk to? I hope we can be cautious about this before the ‘hounds’ in our lives come against us and we find out that we have no real friends who can have our backs under such circumstances. Are you just popular and having many friends but no real friend at all? It’s time to do a friend check-list! To read more posts by Mercy, click HERE
