Once, a fox lived in a forest. One fine morning, he was roaming around the forest and he was feeling bored.
As he was passing by, he saw a huge, thick and long snake lying under some trees. His long body stretched from one comer of the path to the other. The fox got much impressed by the snake’s big size. He thought, “It’s such a large snake. It must eat a lot to be so big. I wish I will be as large and long as this snake. I too must lie on the ground and stretch my body. If I crawl on the rough ground and stretch my body end to end, I will surely become as long as him. I must try this at once.”
So the fox lay down on the path by the snake’s side and started stretching his body. He tried hard but his bones and muscles ached, yet he did not grow long enough. At last he stretched so hard that his stomach burst open and he died on the spot.
The poor fox did not know that one can be equal to one’s own ilk. No one must compare oneself with others who are stronger or larger than they are.
Tags: Wisdom Tales