Parable

(As told to me when I was camping on top of Mount Shasta)

There once was a snake- a snake that became tired of being the 'bad guy.'
He went to a Guru..." Everybody hates me. I want to be liked. What can i do?"

The guru said to the snake " People hate you because you bite them. Stop biting people, and they might like you." So the snake slithered off, resolved to not bite anyone anymore.

Some time passed, and the snake returned to the guru. "Look at me! I stopped biting people, and all they did in return was stomp all over me!" The snake was in a terrible state, all smashed and bruised.

The Guru looked sadly at the snake and said " I told you not to bite anyone. I never said you couldn't hiss."