One day, an old man was walking along a river bank when he saw a scorpion drowning in the water. He reached out his hand to save the scorpion, but the scorpion stung him. The old man withdrew his hand, but he did not give up. He tried again and again, but each time the scorpion stung him.

A young man who was passing by saw the old man and the scorpion. He said to the old man, “Why are you wasting your time and hurting yourself for a scorpion? Don’t you know that it is in its nature to sting? Just let it die.”

The old man looked at the young man and said, “It is in the scorpion’s nature to sting, but it is in my nature to save. Why should I change my nature because of the scorpion’s nature?”

The old man continued to try to save the scorpion, until he finally succeeded. He put the scorpion on the dry land and smiled. He then continued his walk, feeling happy and peaceful.