The Ant and the Dove

An ant went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and

being carried away by the rush of the stream, was on the point of

drowning.  A Dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked

a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to her.  The Ant

climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank.  Shortly

afterwards a birdcatcher came and stood under the tree, and laid

his lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the branches.  The Ant,

perceiving his design, stung him in the foot.  In pain the

birdcatcher threw down the twigs, and the noise made the Dove

take wing.

The Elephant and the Monkey

Elephant and monkey were good friends, however one day they quarrelled.

The powerful elephant said, "Being strong is better than being agile."

The monkey said ,"No! Being agile is better!"

They couldn’t agree, so they went to the wise owl so he could sort out their argument.

They asked the owl," Is it better to be strong or agile? Please tell us."

The owl was wise and he thought for a while.

Then he said to them " See that big river over there? I want you to cross it."

"When you reach the other side, you will see a tall coconut palm, pluck two coconuts for me and bring them back here - then I will answer your question."

They both got to the river - the monkey was afraid because he couldn't swim. The elephant said, "I will carry you." So they both safely reached the other side.

When they got to the coconut palm they saw that the fruit was right at the top.

"Oh, dear!" said the elephant. "I cannot reach the coconuts!"

"I can!" said the monkey. He jumped up the tree and climbed to the top. Then he picked two coconuts and came back down.

When he had plucked two coconuts, the monkey came down.

The elephant was waiting for him. On the way back, the elephant again carried the monkey on his back across the river.

Soon they were back with the owl.

The owl said ," If the elephant was not strong, you would not have crossed the river safely."

"And if the monkey was not agile you would not have been able to pick the coconuts."

"So you see, being strong and being agile are as good as each other, and if they work together you can achieve more than if they work separately."

The elephant and the monkey looked at each other, laughed and walked off together.

Working Together

A father whose sons were always fighting wanted to show them the value of the synergy that comes from working together.  So he had one of the sons bring him a bundle of sticks.  He gathered his sons around him, and one at a time, he asked each young man to take the bundle of sticks and try to break it.  None succeeded.  He then split open the bundle, and handed each son one or two sticks, asking them once again to try to break them.  This time, the sons did so easily.  “You see boys,” he said.  “Individually, these sticks do not have much strength, but when you combine their individual might, they form something of much greater power.  Separately, you can be broken, but together, you are stronger.”