Moral Stories

[sherlyk]

Fear
There was a lion who feared nothing except the crowing of cocks. A chill would go down his spine whenever he heard a cock crowing.
One day he confessed his fear to the elephant, who was greatly amused.
“How can the crowing of a cock hurt you?” he asked the lion. “Think about it!”
Just then a mosquito began circling the elephant’s head, frightening him out of his wits.
“If it gets into my ear I’m doomed!” he shrieked, flailing at the insect with his trunk.
Now it was the lion’s turn to feel amused.

Moral: If we could see our fears as others see them we would realise that most of our fears make no sense!

[sherlyk]

The Three Dolls
A sage presented a prince with a set of three small dolls. The prince was not amused.
"Am I a girl that you give me dolls?" he asked.
"This is a gift for a future king," said the man. "If you look carefully, you'll see a hole in the ear of each doll."
"So?"
The sage handed him a piece of string.
"Pass it through each doll," he said.
Intrigued, the prince picked up the first doll and put the string into the ear.
It came out from the other ear.
"This is one type of person," said the man. "Whatever you tell him, comes out from the other ear. He doesn't retain anything."
The prince put the string into the second doll. It came out from the mouth.
"This is the second type of person," said the man. "Whatever you tell him, he tells everybody else."
The prince picked up the third doll and repeated the process. The string did not reappear from anywhere else.
"This is the third type of person," said the man. "Whatever you tell him is locked up within him. It never comes out."
"What is the best type of person?" asked the prince.
The man handed him a fourth doll, in answer.
When the prince put the string into the doll, it came out from the other ear.
"Do it again," said the sage. The prince repeated the process. This time the string came out from the mouth. When he put the string in a third time, it did not come out at all.
"This is the best type of person," said the sage. "To be trustworthy, a man must know when not to listen, when to remain silent and when to speak out."

[sherlyk]

Plane Truth
Two travellers, seeking respite from the searing heat of the midday sun, took shelter under a leafy tree.
They soon felt cool and refreshed.
“What sort of tree is this? Does it produce edible fruits?” asked one of the men to the other.
“It’s a plane tree,” said his companion. “Don’t waste your time looking for fruits. It produces neither edible fruits nor good wood. It’s one of the most useless trees around.”
“How can you say that when you’re enjoying my shade at this very moment?” snapped the tree.

Moral: Often, a person’s worst critics are those who have benefited the most from him.

[sherlyk]

Speedy Rabbit
A dog spotted a rabbit and started chasing him, but the rabbit got away. Seeing this, a goat stopped to gloat.
"Too fast for you, wasn't he?" he sneered.
"Why are you surprised?" said the dog. "I was chasing him for fun; he was running for his life."

Moral : Performance depends on motivation.

[sherlyk]

Monkey Business

A monkey climbed the roof of a house and entertained the people who had gathered below to watch it, with its antics.
After it had gone, an ass who craved popularity climbed the roof and tried to perform the same tricks.
In the process, it dislodged and broke several tiles.
The owner of the house was furious. His servants went up, drove the ass down, and beat it black and blue.

Moral: Actions that suit others may not suit you. Be yourself.

[sherlyk]

The Dreamy Milk-maid


Milk-maid had been to the meadow to milk her cows. Now she was returning home with a pail of milk on her head.

She thought, "I will make cream and butter out of this milk. Then selling them, I will buy eggs. and when they hatch, I shall have a goodfarm."

She further thought, "I shall sell some of my fowls and buy a fine dress. Seeing it on my body at the fair, all the boys will admire me. But I will turn them away just tossing my head at them."

Lost in day dreams, she forgot about the pail on her head. She tossed her head with a jerk and the pail of milk came tumbling down. it was broken and all the milk got spilt.

"Dear O dear !" she cried, "I have lost my all.
MORAL: Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.

[sherlyk]

A farmer's boy went into his field. There were some sheep and a pig there.He picked up the pig that squealed aloud.

"Why are you making a fuss? When he catches us, we never cry." said a sheep.

"Shut up, cried the pig, "the shepherd wants only wool from you. But this boy is taking me away for my meat."
MORAL: Life is dear to everyone.

[sherlyk]

An Arab while crossing a desert came across a huge rock half buried in the sand. Scrawled on the boulder was this inscription:

TURN ME OVER AND YOU WILL BENEFIT FROM IT


The Arab felt sure there was a great treasure hidden beneath it and worked mightily to turn it over.
He succeeded after several hours. But there was no treasure there, only an inscription on the underside of the rock.


The Inscription Was

GREED IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL REMEMBER THIS AND YOU WILL BE A BETTER MAN.

[sherlyk]

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?” “You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.”
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.
Year’s later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She began to read the following words:

“Paid in full with one glass of milk”

[sherlyk]

The Clever Sheep

One day a wolf cornered a sheep.
"You can't escape, " said the wolf, baring his teeth.
"I know," said the sheep, softly.
"Please grant me a last wish. Sing a song so that I may dance one last time.'
"Certainly,' said the wolf and throwing back his head began to howl.
Hearing him howl the farmer's dogs rushed to the spot and drove him away.

Moral: Don't attempt anything that is beyond your ability