Live and let live

August 19, 2013 08:31 pm | Updated August 20, 2013 03:01 pm IST

Long ago there was a village where there was no disease at all. There were many trees and the villagers understood its importance. They lived harmoniously.

One day a woodcutter came to the village. The villagers did not understand what was happening and the woodcutter decided to use this to his advantage. The village did not have a president. So the wood cutter decided to be the village president and the people accepted him. But then he started to cut the trees there. If anyone opposed him, they would be locked up in jail. So no one opposed him. The village was soon struck by diseases.

One night, the woodcutter dreamt that all the trees in the village came and said, “Don’t cut us. We help you in many ways by providing food and medicine. But all you do is destroy us for your needs. When you cut us, you think that only we die. But the truth is, so will you because you need oxygen to breathe and we give it out and purify the air. So please do not cut us.”

From that day, the woodcutter started to plant trees. He released all the villagers he had locked up. Eventually he left that village. Now the village is a lot happier.

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