North Wind And Sun
The North Wind and the Sun met far above the Earth and had a great argument.
“ I am stronger than you!“
roared the North Wind.
“ Oh no you‘re not!“
said the sun. For weeks they went on and on and argued. Neither the Sun nor the North Wind would give up. They became so wrapped up in their argument that they ignored their jobs. The North Wind didn‘t blow and the Sun didn‘t shine. In the end, they decided that they had to settle their argument before something dreadful happened on the Earth. They agreed that the first one to separate a certain traveller from his cloak could consider himself the strongest.
The North Wind tried first. He attacked the poor traveller and tried his hardest to tear the cloak from the man‘s body. He failed. All that he did was to make the man hug his cloak closer to him for protection.
“ It‘s impossible,“
groaned the North Wind.
“ If I can‘t separate that man from his cloak with all of my strength, I‘m sure that you won‘t be able to do that, Sun.“
The Sun didn‘t answer; he merely carried on smiling. He smiled down on the traveller below him. His smile began to make the traveller feel warm. Before long, the traveller felt very very hot and stopped hugging the cloak to him and let it fall open. The Sun‘s smile grew warmer and warmer and soon the traveller threw his cloak back behind him so that it hung from his shoulders. Still the sun smiled. The Earth grew hotter and hotter. Everything began to wilt and droop in the enormous heat. In the end, the traveller knew that he did not need his cloak at all. He took it off and trailed it in the dust behind him. The Sun turned to the North Wind. He still said nothing, but his smile grew even wider.
It is sometimes possible to gain by persuasion what can not be gained by mere force.
