Eduar’s dog had a troublesome reputation. He frequently bit people, which caused Eduar a lot of stress. This was not the kind of behavior a dog should have. People in the town were always on edge, expecting to be bitten whenever they encountered Eduar’s dog. Word quickly spread throughout the village, and soon, no one wanted to visit Eduar’s home.
Eduar tried to train his dog, hoping to correct its aggressive behavior. He remained patient, working hard to calm the dog down, but nothing seemed to work. Frustrated, Eduar often wondered, how can I stop my dog from biting people?
One day, a friend from the town came to speak with Eduar about the problem. During their conversation, his friend said, “The towners have asked me to speak on their behalf. We need you to do something about your dog’s biting. Why not put a bell around its neck? That way, everyone will hear it coming and avoid getting bitten.”
Eduar thought this was an excellent suggestion. With the bell, people could stay out of the dog’s way, and the biting would stop.
To Eduar’s surprise, his dog loved the bell. People would glance in his direction when they heard it ringing, and this attention made the dog feel proud. He even enjoyed the sound the bell made as he walked through the village.
One afternoon, Eduar’s dog encountered a group of other dogs. He expected them to admire his bell and maybe even want one of their own. However, instead of admiration, they laughed at him.
“The bell doesn’t make you popular,” the other dogs said. “People only pay attention to it because it warns them to stay away from you. It’s not the bell they like—it’s that they can avoid being bitten!”
Confused, Eduar’s dog shook his head. “No, they look at me because they appreciate my bell.”
The other dogs replied, “You’ve misunderstood. People avoid you because they’re afraid, not because they like you. The bell only tells them where you are so they can steer clear.”
The lesson here is that popularity isn’t always a good thing, especially when it’s for the wrong reasons.