The Farmer and the Fox

A Farmer, finding that his chickens were being attacked and killed by a clever Fox, set a trap to capture the creature. After many nights, the trap succeeded in catching the Fox, and the Farmer took him in a cage to his shed, intending to execute him the following day. During the night, the Fox spoke to the Farmer: "I know that I have stolen your chickens and caused you loss and distress. I do not ask for my life, for I understand that this is the consequence of my actions. Yet I make a request: allow me to attempt to repay the damage I have done. If you will release me, I promise to serve you faithfully, to hunt the rats that destroy your grain stores, and to prevent other wild creatures from attacking your livestock. In this way, I can repay my debt through service." The Farmer, moved by the Fox's apparent sincerity and by the promise that the Fox might prove useful, released him. Yet the Fox soon returned to his old habits, stealing chickens and causing loss to the Farmer's household. The Farmer, recognizing that the Fox's words had been false and his promises insincere, captured him again and this time executed him without hesitation. A younger Farmer, witnessing this event, said to the old Farmer: "Did you not make a sacrifice by releasing the Fox and giving him a chance to repay his debt? Why did you not maintain that sacrifice and forgive him when he returned to his old ways?" The old Farmer replied: "Sacrifice is the virtue of giving up something of value for a greater good. But true sacrifice requires that the sacrifice accomplish something worthwhile. To forgive one who abuses forgiveness is not sacrifice—it is foolishness. To give up justice and the protection of the innocent is not a noble sacrifice but a dereliction of duty. The Fox had proven himself unworthy of trust, and to release him again would have been to sacrifice the welfare of my chickens and the security of my household to a false notion of sacrifice." Thus did the Farmer understand that sacrifice must serve a worthy purpose, not merely the appearance of virtue.