You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.
A proverb
On a very hot and humid day I was enjoying a leisurely afternoon at the neighborhood pool with my family. The cool water felt so good. I was very relaxed, and I stared absently at the random light ripples in the pool. Suddenly, I noticed a motion in the corner of my eye – an insect fell into the water. Without a second thought, I engaged in a bug rescue mission. As I was scooping it out of the water, I felt a sharp sting on my little finger. The bug turned out to be an angry wasp! The wasp managed to fly away unharmed. Despite the pain in my swallowing finger, I felt good. After all, I saved the insect from drowning.
To my big surprise, I saw the wasp hovering and landing again on the surface of the water. This time I did nothing and just observed it. It turned out, that the wasp was collecting water. In fact, what I learned later after some online research was that wasps are attracted to water. They collect water to bring it back to their nests. The also take dips in the water to cool themselves off.
So right there at the pool, with a swollen and painful finger, I reflected on the topic of helping others when help is actually not sought. Forcing creatures to accept your help when they did not request or welcomed it is not really helping anyone. Helping others is a noble deed, no doubt about it. However, do channel your energy to where it is actually needed and appreciated.