The Parable of the Horse and the Devil
A man once owned a horse of such beauty and spirit that it was the center of his world. Every morning, he would greet it, and every evening, he would ensure it was safely tied to a strong post outside his home, the rope secured with a knot he trusted completely. This horse was not just an animal; it was his joy, his comfort, and the living symbol of the good and gentle life he had built.
One day, the Devil, passing by, saw the horse and the man’s deep attachment to it. The Devil did not snarl or threaten; he simply saw an opportunity. He walked over to the post and, with a subtle and patient hand, loosened the knot just enough. He did not untie the rope; he only made it possible for the horse to free itself. Then, he stepped back into the shadows and watched.
The horse, feeling the slack in the rope, eventually wandered away, drifting into a nearby farmer’s field of golden wheat. It meant no harm, but in its innocent grazing, it began to trample the crops, destroying a season’s worth of the farmer’s toil. The farmer, seeing his livelihood being ruined, was filled with a rage that clouded all reason. In his anger and fear, he took out his gun and shot the horse.
When the horse’s owner discovered what had happened, a grief so profound it felt like the world had ended washed over him. But this grief quickly curdled into a white-hot, all-consuming need for vengeance. It was not enough to mourn his loss; someone had to pay. In a blind fury, he sought out the farmer and killed him, believing this was justice.
The farmer’s wife, returning home to find her husband dead, was shattered. Her grief was mingled with a terror so absolute it felt like the world was ending. In that state of panic and despair, she struck out at the person who had destroyed her world, and soon, one act of pain spiraled into a chain of vengeance and tragedy that swallowed the entire community. Neighbor turned against neighbor, friend against friend, until the meadows, once filled with the joy of a horse ride, were silent with sorrow and loss.
When the few remaining, broken people finally turned to the Devil and asked why he had caused so much pain, he simply smiled and said, “I didn’t do anything. I only set the horse free.”
For the victim of a scam, this parable is a mirror. The horse is your heart, your hope, your trust, and the life you thought you were building. The Devil is the scammer, a shadowy figure who saw your joy and decided to exploit it. The act of loosening the rope is the scam itself, the first lie, the initial manipulation. It was a single, malicious act designed to set chaos in motion.
But the rest of the tragedy, the trampling of the crops, the death of the horse, the cycle of revenge, that was not the Devil’s work. That was the work of human rage. Your obsessive pursuit of justice, your all-consuming anger against the scammer, is you killing the farmer. It is you allowing the initial hurt to spiral into a new, self-inflicted tragedy that destroys everything else in your life: your peace, your other relationships, your future.
The Devil has already moved on. He is in the next village, loosening another rope. He is not standing in your ruined field. But by staying, by focusing all your energy on avenging your horse, you are ensuring the devastation continues. The Devil doesn’t need to create the darkness in your heart. He just counts on you not stopping to think, on you nurturing his initial spark of chaos until it becomes an all-consuming fire that burns your entire world to the ground. True justice is not revenge; it is refusing to let the Devil’s single, small act of loosening the rope destroy the entire meadow of your life.
Prof. Tim McGuinness, Ph.D.
November 2025
