Power of unity 4

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom that was ruled by a wise and benevolent king. The king had three sons who were very different from each other. The eldest son was brave and strong, but he was also proud and arrogant. The second son was clever and cunning, but he was also greedy and selfish. The third son was kind and gentle, but he was also timid and shy.

The king loved his sons equally, but he worried about their future. He knew that one day he would have to choose one of them to be his successor, but he also feared that the other two would not accept his decision and would fight among themselves. He wanted his sons to learn the value of unity and cooperation, but he did not know how to teach them.

One day, he had an idea. He called his sons to his chamber and gave each of them a wooden stick. He said, "My sons, this is a test for you. Each of you has a stick that can be easily broken by anyone. But if you tie your sticks together, they will become stronger and harder to break. I want you to go to the forest and find a way to bind your sticks together. Whoever succeeds in doing so will prove himself worthy of being my heir."

The three sons agreed to take the test and went to the forest. The eldest son tried to use his strength to force the sticks together, but he only succeeded in breaking them. The second son tried to use his cunning to trick the sticks into sticking together, but he only succeeded in making them slippery. The third son tried to use his kindness to persuade the sticks to join together, but he only succeeded in making them bend.

The three sons returned to the king with their broken, slippery and bent sticks. They admitted that they had failed the test and asked for his forgiveness. The king said, "My sons, you have disappointed me. You have not learned the lesson I wanted to teach you. Unity is not something that can be achieved by force, trickery or pleading. Unity is something that can only be achieved by mutual respect, trust and love. If you had worked together instead of competing with each other, you would have easily bound your sticks together and made them stronger. But because you were divided by your pride, greed and fear, you weakened your sticks and yourselves."

The king then showed them another bundle of sticks that he had prepared beforehand. He said, "This is what I wanted you to do. See how these sticks are tied together with a rope? They are stronger than any of your sticks alone. They can withstand any pressure or attack. They symbolize the power of unity. If you want to be my successor, you must learn to be united with your brothers and with your people. Only then will you be able to protect and prosper this kingdom."

The three sons realized their mistake and felt ashamed of their behavior. They apologized to their father and to each other. They promised to work together from then on and to respect each other's strengths and weaknesses. The king was pleased with their change of heart and hugged them warmly. He said, "My sons, I am proud of you. You have learned the most important lesson of all: the power of unity."