Gentleness....

Long ago, the Wind and Sun were having an argument about who was stronger. They decided to have a contest.

“Do you see that man walking along the road, wearing a cloak?” asked the Sun.

“Yes,” answered the wind.

“Let’s see who can make him take off his cloak,” said the Sun.

So the Wind and Sun agreed.

First, the Wind tried. It began to blow. It blew harder and harder. But the more it blew, the tighter the man wrapped himself in his cloak.

Finally, the Wind said to the Sun, “I give up. You try.”

The Sun began to smile warmly at the man. The man began to feel the warmth of the sun. The sun got brighter and brighter. The man felt warmer and warmer. Soon the man was sweating as he walked along the road. Feeling hot and tired, he sat down on a big rock and threw off his cloak.

Lesson: Gentleness can do what force cannot.