CONTROLLING ANGER

Once, there was a young boy. This boy had problems controlling his anger.
When he got angry, he would say the first thing that came to mind, even if it
affected people.

One day, his father gifted him a hammer and a bundle of nails, then said,
“Whenever you get mad, hammer a nail into the backyard fence.”

In the first days, the boy used up half of the nails. Over the next weeks, he
used up fewer nails, until his temper was under control. Then, his father
asked the young boy to remove a nail for each day he didn’t lose his temper.

On the day when the boy removed his last nail, his father told him, “You
have done good, boy. But, can you see the holes in the wall? The fence is
never going to be the same. Likewise, when you say mean things in anger,
you’ll leave a scar.”

MORAL LESSON:

Anger is like a knife — one of the most dangerous weapons. When you use it,
the wounds will heal, but the scars remain.
 THE DOG AT THE WELL
Once, there was a young boy. This boy had problems controlling his anger. A
mother dog and her pups lived on a farm. On the farm, there was a well. The
mother dog always told her pups never to go near or play around it.

One day, one of the pups was overcome by curiosity and wondered why they
weren’t allowed to go near the well. So, he decided he wanted to explore it.

He went down to the well and climbed up the wall to peek inside. In the well,
he saw his reflection in the water but thought it was another dog. The little
pup got angry when his reflection was imitating him, so he decided to fight
it.

The little pup jumped into the well, only to find there was no dog. He began
to bark and bark until the farmer came to rescue him. The pup had learned
his lesson and never went back to the well again.

MORAL LESSON:

Always listen to what elders say and don’t defy them.

 THE MISER AND HIS GOLD
There once was an old miser who lived in a house with a garden. The old
miser used to hide all his gold coins under stones in his garden.

Every night, before he went to bed, the miser went out into his garden to
count his coins. He continued the same routine every day, but he never
spent a single, golden coin.

One day, a thief saw the old miser hiding his coins. Once the old miser went
back into his house, the thief went to the hiding place and took all the gold.

The following day, as the old man came out to count his coins, he found it
was gone and started wailing loudly. His neighbor heard the cries and came
running, asking what had happened. Upon learning what had occurred, the
neighbor asked, “Why didn’t you just save the money inside your house
where it would’ve been safe?”

The neighbor continued, “Having it inside the house would make it easier to
access when you need to buy something.” “Buy something?” answered the
miser, “I was never going to spend my gold.”

When hearing this, the neighbor picked up a stone and threw it. Then, he
said, “If that’s the case, then save the stone. It’s as worthless as the gold
you’ve lost.”

MORAL LESSON:
A possession is as important as what it’s used for.

THE BEAR AND THE TWO FRIENDS

One day, two friends were walking through the forest. They knew the forest
was a dangerous place and that anything could happen. So, they promised to
remain close to each other in case of any danger.

All of a sudden, a big bear was approaching them. One of the friends quickly
climbed a nearby tree, leaving the other friend behind.

The other friend did not know how to climb, and instead, followed common
sense. He laid down on the ground and remained there, breathless,
pretending to be dead.

The bear approached the friend lying on the ground. The animal started to
smell his ear before slowly wandering off again because bears never touch
those who are dead.

Soon, the friend who hid in the tree came down. He asked his friend, “My
dear friend, what secret did the bear whisper to you?” The friend replied,
“The bear simply advised me never to believe a false friend.”

MORAL LESSON:

A true friend will always support and stand by you in any situation.
 THE BUNDLE OF STICKS
Once upon a time, there was an old man who lived in a village with his three
sons. Although his three sons were hard workers, they quarreled all the time.
The old man tried to unite them but failed.

Months passed by, and the old man became sick. He asked his sons to
remain united, but they failed to listen to him. At that moment, the old man
decided to teach them a lesson — to forget their differences and come
together in unity.

The old man summoned his sons, then proceeded to tell them, “I will provide
you with a bundle of sticks. Separate each stick, and then break each into
two. The one who finishes first will be rewarded more than the others.”

And so, the sons agreed. The old man provided them with a bundle of ten
sticks each, and then asked the sons to break each stick into pieces. The
sons broke the sticks within minutes, then proceeded to quarrel among
themselves again.

The old man said, “My dear sons, the game is not yet over. I will now give
you another bundle of sticks. Only this time, you will have to break them
together as a bundle, not separately.”

The sons readily agreed and then tried to break the bundle. Despite trying
their best, they could not break the sticks. The sons told their father of their
failure.

The old man said, “My dear sons, see! Breaking every single stick
individually was easy for you, but breaking them in a bundle, you could not
do. By staying united, nobody can harm you. If you continue to quarrel, then
anyone can quickly defeat you.”

The old man continued, “I ask that you stay united.” Then, the three sons
understood there’s power in unity, and promised their father they would all
stay together.
MORAL LESSON:

There’s strength in unity.

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

One bright autumn day, a family of ants was busy working in the warm
sunshine. They were drying out the grain they had stored up during the
summer when a starving grasshopper came up. With his fiddle under his
arm, the grasshopper humbly begged for a bite to eat.

“What!” cried the ants, “Haven’t you stored any food away for the winter?
What in the world were you doing all summer?”

“I didn’t have time to store any food before winter,” the grasshopper whined.
“I was too busy making music that the summer flew by.”

The ants simply shrugged their shoulders and said, “Making music, were
you? Very well, now dance!” The ants then turned their backs on the
grasshopper and returned to work.

MORAL LESSON:

There’s a time for work and a time for play.

 A GLASS OF MILK
There once was a poor boy who spent his days going door-to-door selling
newspapers to pay for school. One day, as he was walking his route, he
started feeling low and weak. The poor boy was starving, so he decided to
ask for food when he came to the next door.

The poor boy asked for food but was denied every time, until he reached the
door of a girl. He asked for a glass of water, but seeing his poor state, the girl
came back with a glass of milk. The boy asked how much he owed her for
the milk, but she refused payment.

Years later, the girl, who was now a grown woman, fell sick. She went from
doctor to doctor, but no one was able to cure her. Finally, she went to the
best doctor in town.

The doctor spent months treating her until she was finally cured. Despite her
happiness, she was afraid she couldn’t afford to pay the bill. But, when the
hospital handed her the bill, it read, ‘Paid in full, with a glass of milk.’

MORAL LESSON:

No good deed goes unrewarded.

 THE NEEDLE TREE
Once, there were two brothers who lived at the forest’s edge. The oldest
brother was always unkind to his younger brother. The older brother took all
the food and snatched all the good clothes.

The oldest brother used to go into the forest in search of firewood to sell in
the market. As he walked through the forest, he chopped off the branches of
every tree, until he came upon a magical tree.

The tree stopped him before he chopped its branches and said, ‘Oh, kind sir,
please spare my branches. If you spare me, I will provide you with golden
apples.’

The oldest brother agreed but was feeling disappointed with how many
apples the tree gave him.

Overcome by greed, the brother threatened to cut the entire tree if it didn’t
provide him with more apples. But, instead of giving more apples, the tree
showered him with hundreds of tiny needles. The brother fell to the ground,
crying in pain as the sun began to set.

Soon, the younger brother became worried and went to search for his older
brother. He searched until he found him at the trunk of the tree, lying in pain
with hundreds of needles on his body.

He rushed to him and started to painstakingly remove each needle with love.
Once the needles were out, the oldest brother apologized for treating his
younger brother so badly. The magical tree saw the change in the older
brother’s heart and gifted them with all the golden apples they could need.

MORAL LESSON:
It’s important to be kind, as it will always be rewarded.

WHEN ADVERSITY KNOCKS

Asha was getting frustrated and tired of life, so she asked her father what to
do. Her father told her to bring an egg, two tea leaves, and a potato. He then
brought out three vessels, filled them with water, and placed them on the
stove.

Once the water was boiling, he told Asha to place the items into each pot
and keep an eye on them. After 10 minutes, he asked Asha to peel the egg,
peel the potato, and strain the leaves. Asha was left confused.

Her father explained, “Each item was placed into the same circumstance,
boiling water. See how each responded differently?”

He continued, “The egg was soft, but is now hard. The potato was hard, but
is now soft. And the tea leaves, they changed the water itself.”

The father then asked, “When adversity calls, we respond in the same
manner as they have. Now, are you an egg, a potato, or tea leaves?”

MORAL LESSON:

We can choose how to respond in difficult situations.

 ELEPHANT AND FRIENDS
A lone elephant walked through the forest, looking for friends. She soon saw
a monkey and proceeded to ask, ‘Can we be friends, monkey?’

The monkey quickly replied, ‘You are big and can’t swing on trees like I do,
so I cannot be your friend.’

Defeated, the elephant continued to search when it stumbled across a rabbit.

She proceeded to ask him, ‘Can we be friends, rabbit?’

The rabbit looked at the elephant and replied, “You are too big to fit inside
my burrow. You cannot be my friend.”

Then, the elephant continued until she met a frog. She asked, “Will you be
my friend, frog?”

The frog replied, “You are too big and heavy; you cannot jump like me. I am
sorry, but you can’t be my friend.”

The elephant continued to ask the animals she met on her way, but always
received the same reply. The following day, the elephant saw all the forest
animals run in fear. She stopped a bear to ask what was happening and was
told the tiger was attacking all the small animals.

The elephant wanted to save the other animals, so she went to the tiger and
said, “Please, sir, leave my friends alone. Do not eat them.”

The tiger didn’t listen. He merely told the elephant to mind her own
business.

Seeing no other way, the elephant kicked the tiger and scared him away.
Upon hearing of the brave tale, the other animals agreed, “You are just the
right size to be our friend.”
MORAL LESSON:

Friends come in every shape and size.