The Snake Simile and the Raft Simile (Late Post due 2/19)

The Snake Simile reminds me of many situations in life about truth telling and when the truth should be told and how it should be told. There are times where the truth needs to be told right away as a savior or as a means of clearance. However, telling the truth in the wrong times and how you tell it can have a bigger effect than you expected, and often in an opposite way than you would have hoped. In reading Ganeri's Concealed Art of the Soul, I quote that, "Those teachings, being rightly grasped by them, conduce to their welfare and happiness for a long time." shows me that the truth when used in the right way, can e used for the advancement of life and prosperity. Otherwise, learning the truth in the way of a vicious snake would cause one to be fearful or scarred by the truth.
In the Simile of the Raft, holding on to things that have helped you previously. may not be of utmost importance to hold on. For example, I still hold on to objects that have served their purpose in my life. I have teddy bears that were of use when I was a young child growing up. When thunder storms came, I would sleep with my teddy bears so that I would not have to feel afraid. Now that I am older and no longer afraid of thunder storms, there are no needs for me to take my teddy bears with me to college. That phase of my life has passed, as so should I in the case of holding on to things that have served their purpose in it's given time. Over time, holding on to my stuffed animals may become a hindrance when I want to make room for the new useful objects in my life. As the Buddha taught about the raft, when things no longer have value to us, we should let it go because attachment is a form of suffering. We should use what is needed to tackle the obstacle at hand then move on accordingly.