Frog On the BurnerIN 1968 a chaplain wrote an article for his unit newsletter in Vietnam to show how men seem to go astray. By now, this little story has been often repeated, but I believe ...
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Frog on the Burner IN 1968 a chaplain wrote an article for his unit newsletter in Vietnam to show how men seem to go astray. By now, this little story has been often repeated, but I believe this chaplain may have been among the first to see the spiritual truth revealed by the story of the Frog on the Burner: I am not an expert on bullfrogs. Once, however, I read the results of an experiment upon one. There is no way I can determine the truth of what was claimed, but I do believe it serves as a good illustration for all of us. It appears that a bullfrog was put into a pan of water, which was at room temperature. A Bunsen burner was then placed beneath the pan at sufficient distance to heat the water at a rate of .017 degrees per second. The report maintains that the frog did not move throughout the experiment and died at the end of two and one half hours. He had been boiled alive. In the 150-minute period, the water temperature changed 153 degrees. At no time was the change abrupt enough for the frog to notice, and he was thus lulled into a state of insensitivity and died. It is agreed that man is smarter than a frog. We can, however, fall victim to the same subtle death. The compromises and sins of today are not in such contrast with those of yesterday that we will notice them. This way there will be no pricked consciences, no need for confession and repentance. The message of this story continues to be informative about human nature. The big catastrophes of life usually start innocuously. Few people set out to become unfaithful to their spouses or addicted to alcohol. Most of the time it takes a series of small, innocent steps, enabled by the unfortunate tendency of most of us to overlook minor instances of destructive behavior. It is a well-established fact that anyone addicted to drugs or alcohol is the last person to realize that a problem exists. Understanding that some of our seemingly harmless acts can lead to danger, we should make corrections early and often—by listening to our own conscience and to the advice of our friends and loved ones. It would be a good idea to keep testing the water—before we are lulled into ignorance of the danger overtaking us. | |
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