Another (Modern) Parable

"The Woman and the Cat"

Once upon a time there lived a woman who owned a cat. Being a cat, he was naturally a very proud beast. Being that he was an indoor cat, he had long ago forsaken his hunter's claws in exchange for two free feedings everyday.

Being such a proud beast, he considered all things below him. When the woman called, he ignored her. He lazed about and shed his fur where he pleased. He slept or groomed himself for most of the day.

One thing the cat loved to do was sit in windows. When the woman opened them to let in fresh air, he would inevitably jump into the windowsill. He could reliably be found sitting in whichever window currently received the most sunshine. Everything he saw both within and without the house he claimed as his own. Such was his pride.

One day the woman was expecting company. She went about the house wiping down the windows to make her home as presentable as possible. The cat, seeing her fuss about the windows, arrogantly assumed she was opening the windows for his enjoyment. Once she had finished about a particular window, he climbed to the back of the futon and leapt for all he was worth.

The window, still being closed, proved a remarkable deterrent for his body. He made to hang onto the ledge, but having surrendered his claws long ago had nothing with which to scrabble for purchase. In the end, he fell to the floor.

His antics, observed by the woman, drew much laughing scorn down upon his head. When the woman had finished laughing, she saw that his crash into the window had dirtied it again, thus necessitating a second cleaning. She upbraided the stupidity of the cat loud and long, forcing him to slink under the bed and nurse his doubly wounded pride.

Moral:
Look before you leap.

OR

Pride comes before a fall!