The Parable of the Good-Natured Frog and the Corrupt-Natured Scorpion

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he fable of the scorpion and the frog, often attributed to Russian émigré writer Ivan Krylov and retold in modern times, is about a fatal clash of natures.

A scorpion wished to cross a river but could not swim. Spotting a frog, it asked: “Carry me across.” The frog hesitated: “If I let you ride on my back, you might sting me.”

The scorpion replied: “Why would I sting you? If I did, we would both drown.” Trusting in reason and goodwill, the frog agreed. Yet halfway across, the scorpion stung. As they sank together, the frog cried: “Why did you do it?” The scorpion answered: “I could not help myself—it is my nature.”

This tension or clash of natures—between the good-natured frog that trusts, and the corrupt-natured scorpion that betrays—plays out in the ghost flood control projects of the Philippines.

The frog represents the Filipino people, naturally hopeful, patient, and willing to trust that officials will do their part to protect lives and livelihoods. The frog understands the risk clearly. It is not naïve—it knows a scorpion may sting. Yet because of its good-natured disposition, the frog chooses to trust, to give the scorpion a chance, to act out of generosity rather than suspicion, albeit to a fault.

The tragedy is that the frog’s good nature collides with the scorpion’s corrupt nature. One is disposed to trust, the other to betray. Together they drown, not because of ignorance, but because of the inevitability of character.

The scorpion symbolizes those driven by greed, whose “nature” leads them to siphon off funds, leave projects unfinished, and abandon communities to flooding.

The river is the growing challenge of climate change and torrential rains—a danger that requires cooperation and solidarity to cross.

The tragedy is that even when the survival of all is at stake, corruption strikes. Budgets are drained, structures remain on paper, and when the floods come, both leaders and citizens suffer together.

The parable leaves us with a haunting truth: when corruption becomes second nature, it destroys not only the guilty but also the innocent who trusted them. Fr JM Manzano SJ