狗和影子与人贵自知

(The Dog and the Shadow)It happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat and was carrying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace. Now, on his way home he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow reflected in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have that also. So he made a snap at the shadow in the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen more.

一只狗嘴里衔着一块肉，走过一条河上面的桥，看见他自己在水里的影子，以为是另一只狗，那时狗衔着的肉，比他自己的还要大一倍。因此他仍掉自己的那一块，狠狠地扑向那只狗，想夺到那一块较大的肉。结果两头都落了空，因为他想要抓取在水中的那一块，只不过是一个影子，而原来的那一块，也被水冲走了。

    这篇寓言是我从英语辅导报上节选的，刚开始的本意是想作为课堂的佐料调剂一下我的课堂，补充一些智慧于孩子们，同时也帮助他们了解一下小升初面试内容的广阔视野！没想到孩子们还比较喜欢故事本身，最终遗憾的是：课堂应处理的文本未完成，正如故事中狗狗的贪心导致最终两手空空般那样！

　　回到这篇寓言,狗看到水中的自己,就像人看到镜子中的自己.有位哲人说每个人都需要一面镜子.他以为常常自照,便能自知,以为就像在梦境中的人,捏一下自己就知道是不是在作梦.孰不知,能自知的人,根本就不需要照镜子；不能自知的东西,就算照上一千遍也没用.譬如这只衔着肉的狗,照镜以后,反而把自己的影子,当作攻击的对象,大吵大闹,把原有的东西都丢了.

　　可见自知不等于自照,自照也不等于自知,所以老子说人贵自知,而不说人贵自照.