Human is an intelligent creature; there is no doubt about this observation. Whenever there is an incident of a lesson (bad outcome), humans will adjust their decision-making accordingly to prevent the similar from happening. Vice versa, whenever there is an incident of an example (good outcome), humans will adjust their decision-making accordingly in hope that the similar will happen again.

This is the law of nature as described in TTC Chapter 27:
“The good person is the teacher of the bad, and the bad person is the lesson for the good.”


Just take an example from the classical children’s story about the shepherd and the wolf. In the first incident, when the shepherd cried for help, the villagers acted swiftly without doubt and believed that another human being was in trouble. Out of pure empathy, the villagers did not hesitate to put aside their tasks and rush to aid the shepherd. It was an act of pure kindness (humans are kind by nature, as described by Mencius). However, when the villagers arrived at the scene and saw that there were no wolves—and were even laughed at by the shepherd for being “stupid” to fall for the prank—this is where the act of balancing started to kick in (response of nature). Some of the villagers, in dissatisfaction and anger, told the shepherd to stop being childish as everyone was busy earning a living. The villagers left the shepherd thereafter.

A few days later, the shepherd started another prank (second incident) by crying for help to fend off wolves attacking the sheep. The villagers again acted swiftly and believed he was in danger. Out of pure empathy, they again put aside their tasks and rushed to his aid. However, when they arrived and saw there were still no wolves, and were laughed at again by the shepherd, the feelings of anger and resentment grew stronger. The villagers left the shepherd thereafter.

A few days later, the shepherd cried for help again (third incident), claiming wolves were attacking the sheep. This time, the wolf attack was real, but the villagers no longer believed the shepherd, assuming he was wasting their time again. As a result, the sheep were devoured by the wolves. The shepherd suffered a major loss.

Normally, at the end of the story, the narrative highlights the lesson for children: “Don’t tell lies, or no one will believe you in the future.” That is the standard message repeated over the years.

What many people don’t notice is that within the “Boy Who Cried Wolf” story, there is a repeating pattern that mirrors life. It is the act of balancing, as per the Law of Nature.

I won’t go into details on other visible patterns I see, but I’ll zoom in on this specific aspect related to the above story:

It is about the exploitation of kindness. How do you overcome the psychological barrier—the fear that your kindness or empathy can be exploited?

Let me give you a few real-life case examples:

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Case 1:
A good gentleman saw someone lying unconscious by the roadside. Out of kindness, he quickly approached to check on him. To his shock, the “unconscious” man was faking it—he sprang up and robbed the gentleman (worst case: the victim could have been killed or kidnapped). Such incidents have appeared in the news before.

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Case 2:
At the airport, an elderly woman asked for help to watch her luggage while she went to the bathroom. Out of kindness, you agreed. After she left, suddenly narcotics police came and put you under arrest as a drug trafficking suspect. This type of trap has also appeared in news reports.

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What I’m trying to point out is this:
Human beings are intelligent creatures who learn from past incidents.

Since even doing kindness can lead to serious trouble, some people start thinking:
Why not just take a neutral stand?

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I’d like to hear your opinion on this, please.

Boundaries and realistic expectations.

You can help people, but also keep an eye out if they are out to scam or hurt you. Then you can achieve the goal of helping while preventing being taken advantage of.

Like in cry wolf example, you don't need the whole village to come check. Just a few, if anything really happen one can go call for more help while the other help chase away or minimize losses.

You have forwarded a premise drawing the analogy from the boy who called wolf, and proceed to offer case1 and case2, which you say has appeared in the news.

I hope I am presenting my thoughts on why I am asking for citations well, but just in case, let me give you an analogy situation.
Me "Sharks are aggressive and will hunt you down if you enter the water. There have been cases where it happened"
You "Are you sure? Where did you learn this?"
Me "I saw Jaws, the shark hunted down the people in the boat!"

Now, I don't doubt this is what you feel happens like the boy who cried wolf, but I have to ask you to cite your case1 and case2, as I feel this clouds your final conclusion like my paragraph above. Start with the facts, and then the discussion happens about it, otherwise you are discussing an imaginary situation.

As for the boy who cried wolf story itself, I think you are reading too much into it. Fables are simple tales to put forward a point. So the general consensus is that the story is about lying, but if you want its also about taking advantage of kindness, or if you want it is also about together we are strong, alone you're not, or it is also about if the boy had planned better he could have saved the flock. See my point?

Thank you for your reply. I only wish more people were inclined to think the way you do.

Hang in there a bit, I’ll share my response once I’ve gathered more input.

While waiting for more, here are the citations you requested for your reference. My apologies for the earlier lack of clarity—I should have included specific cases where acts of kindness were exploited or misunderstood, leading to trouble.

Case 1 : Additionally, the fear of legal repercussions has led to hesitancy among Malaysians to assist those in need. A 2024 article from Malay Mail discusses how the absence of a Good Samaritan law in Malaysia contributes to this reluctance. The article highlights cases where bystanders hesitated to help accident victims due to fear of being blamed or facing legal consequences.

Case 2: An airport scenario where an individual unwittingly became a drug trafficking suspect after helping a stranger with their luggage – similar to a case reported by The Sun.

Hang in there a bit, I’ll share my response once I’ve gathered more input.

Dude, are you using LLMs to respond?

The examples you cite didn't happen. Well, the first is true in that Malaysia does not have a "good samaritan law", but when has that kindness been taken advantage of?

The second ..... ah well this is The Sun reporting a Facebook post from 2023 as if it is real news. Would you take some random TikTok from a stranger and report as if it is true? I know many would, but you should rise above that gutter mentality. Still does not mean it happened though.

Maybe just ask your question directly without the pseudo deep-thinking karmic analysisLet me ask you this question - Do YOU really not help people because you fear you will be taken advantage of? Or is there some other reason? Let's start with what you think first to begin the discussion instead of you presenting a situation and asking people to discuss it.

In all honesty, my answer is yes . I hope you don't get offended and misread it as though I'm not being genuine. My apologies if I made you feel so.

I guess in the end, it is not hard to spot such a "command" being put in place. Such a silly observation; give me another insight for something. Maybe in the future, we can talk about that topic separately.

You don't.
I do it because I want to. Whether someone wants to take advantage of my goodwill, so be it. But with every lesson u learnt.
Obviously u will feel disappointed when the negative happens to you. But whenever there is a positive reaction, then u will react more positively.
You will also learn to improvise on how you would react.

Let me quote an example:
I usually preach that I won't donate to any foreign beggars regardless how pity they look. But damn I have a soft spot for children especially mom with baby.

You know it's cartel and giving monies just encourage it further. So instead of donating, I bring them to the closest shop or restaurant where I can get them food. (eg ramly burger, 7-11), buy them a meal that will sold their hunger for that day.

Could I be scam for this? Yeah maybe but that's life.

You be you and be happy with whatever decision u make and not because other influences you.

Why Serious Kopitiam full of LLM generated replies? Really Dead Internet Theory.

The hidden lesson is the 3rd time the boy wasn't lying. If the boy was warning about a tsunami and nobody listened then everyone would have died.

First of all, thank you for your willingness to spend your precious time replying. To be honest, I never expected such a response from you, so it took me a little longer to get back to you.

I’ll be frank — I was actually looking forward to hearing from a particular user on this forum, someone who recommended the book Liao-Fan’s Four Lessons to me about a year ago. It’s a book on self-reform written by a father to his son during the Ming Dynasty (about 500 years ago). One of the major teachings in the book is about doing kindness — it outlines 16 different types. I recently finished reading it, and I found it very meaningful. Personally, I believe it addresses many of the human-related issues we face today.

Those who’ve read it will likely understand my intention, though I don’t expect everyone to read it.

Let me put it this way: our society is becoming ill. The problems between people are far worse than they were just two generations ago. If we do nothing, this cycle will only continue — broken families, divorces, family feuds, purposeless lives, and so on. It may not affect our family now, but if things worsen, we can’t be certain it won’t affect our future generations. If you read this intention clearly, you’ll understand the direction I’m heading.

Now, back to the question — will I stop doing kindness?

My answer is this: “Don’t offer kindness without caution, or stand up for what’s right without thinking it through. Not everyone in this world is honest, and not every cry for help is genuine.”

This aligns with what @Silverhawk said earlier.

To put it simply: kindness + discernment.

We shouldn’t stop doing good just because we fear being exploited. But discernment is something that must be cultivated and trained — and sadly, it’s often neglected. As a result, many teach the younger generation not to get involved, not to do kindness.

And the behavior that arises from that kind of upbringing — where self-interest is prioritized above all — is where the breakdown in human relationships begins.

I think they should have a rule in serious K, that using LLMs to reply (copy paste) are not acceptable.

My niece is like this. Little thing she cry pain this that.. Then pretend arms broken.. Cry.. Sob.

We have told her if she keeps on doing that, no one would believe in her when the real thing happens.

So.. I'd give warning so they know the repurcussion of crying wolf in front of me constantly

Read the post 5 seconds already give the fishy feeling.



Structured like a true AI bot.





These days everything fake af. TS is like the boy, wolf coming for us all.