The Camel once upon a time complained to Jupiter that he was not as well served as he ought to be in the means of defence and offence. “The bull,” said he, “has horns, the boar, tusks, and the lion and tiger, formidable claws and fangs that make them feared and respected on all sides. I, on the other hand, have to put up with the abuse of all who choose to insult me.” Jupiter angrily told him that if he would take the trouble to think, he would see that he was endowed with qualities shared by no other beast; but that, as a punishment for his unreasonable importunity, henceforward his ears should be shortened.
Exposition
by William C. Michael
In this fable, Aesop teaches us about a camel. The camel was unhappy and complained to Jupiter. Jupiter is a name used to refer to God, which means “Heavenly Father”.
The camel was unhappy because he felt that other animals were given many benefits and he was given none. When he looked at a bull, he saw powerful horns. When he looked at the boar, he saw sharp tusks. When he looked at the lion and the tiger, he saw terrible claws and fangs. The other animals had great weapons to defend themselves, but he had none. He didn’t think this was fair, and complained to God.
His complaining made Jupiter angry because he was not making a fair judgment. He spent his time thinking about what he didn’t have, and ignored what he did have. Jupiter gave the camel special gifts that make him valuable to men. While men will quickly kill the ferocious animals that the camel envied, men take great care of the camels.
What is it that makes camels special? In hot, dry lands, camels are valuable because they need very little water to live. They are able to carry loads for men across deserts and can go without water for ten days. No other animal can do this–and this is the special gift God have to the camel.
Yet, the camel was not thankful for God’s gift and complained. His complaining was unreasonable, so God chose to punish the camel. The punishment chosen was that the camel’s ears should be made short, so that they look silly. (You can look at the ears of a llama or alpaca and see how much larger they are than the camel’s.) This punishment was given to humble the camel and make him think more carefully before he complains.
What is the moral of this fable?
The moral of this fable is that we must not envy others, but seek to understand and appreciate what God has given to us and why He has made us as we are made. We were not created to do our own will, but to do God’s will. When we learn God’s will for our lives, we will find that we are designed perfectly for it.
Why has Aesop chosen these characters?
The camel is likely chosen by Aesop because he is not very impressive to look at, but he is extremely valuable to men for the work he does. There may be no better example of an animal who appears so unattractive and useless at first glance, but is found to be so valuable to so many people.
