A “bear favour” is a meaningless service that is done to us with good intentions, but instead of the expected help, it causes only harm and trouble. Shortsighted helpers do not solve problems, but only exacerbate them.
The origin of the phrase “Bear’s favour”
The famous Frenchman Jean de Lafontaine rewrote the Indian story of the Monkey and the Stone, changing the monkey into a bear. Later, this fable was translated by I. A. Krylov. We know it as The Hermit and the Bear. According to the story, a lonely hermit got tired of his loneliness and started making friends with a bear. They spent all their time together, travelling a lot. When the hermit was exhausted and lay down to rest, the bear decided to guard his friend’s sleep and began to drive away a fly that landed on the man’s nose, then on his cheek, then on his nose again. When the fly landed on the hermit’s forehead, the bear lost all patience. He grabbed a rock and killed the annoying insect, and at the same time his friend.
The moral of the story is that helping others is a good thing, but it must be done wisely. Because if a fool takes on the task, nothing good will come of it.
