One day, a dog dying of thirst after wandering through the desert reached a small pond. The dog tried to take a sip, but he saw reflected in the water his own image and he thought it was another dog, a fierce one, guarding the pond and stopping him from drinking the water.
The thirsty dog waited and waited but the other dog was still there.
Time passed and the dog still did not dare to drink, but finally, feeling exhausted and truly dying of thirst, he jumped into the water, ready to fight with the other dog for some gulps.
To his surprise, he found no dog in the water. He played and drank as much water as he needed and everything was fine!
After a while, he got out of the pond but not before taking another look back at the water surface.
The other dog was still there, looking back at him.
Know yourself as well as you can so you do not become your own enemy!