Lesson on leadership and

membership from fables

1. The Farmer and the stork
The Farmer and the Stork is one of Aesop's fables which
appears in Greek in the collections of both Babrius and
Aphthonius and has differed little in the telling over the
centuries. The story relates how a farmer plants traps in
his field to catch the cranes and geese that are stealing
the seeds he has sown.
2. The hunter and the woodsman
• A hunter, not very bold, was
searching for the tracks of a
Lion. He asked a man felling
oaks in the forest if he had
seen any marks of his
footsteps or knew where his
lair was. “I will,” said the
man, “at once show you the
Lion himself.” The Hunter,
turning very pale and
chattering with his teeth from
fear, replied, “No, thank you. I
did not ask that; it is his track
3. Bear and man lying down
• Two men were traveling together, when a Bear suddenly met
them on their path.
• One of them climbed up quickly into a tree and hid in the
branches. The other, feeling that he would be attacked, fell flat
on the ground.
• The Bear came up and felt him with his snout, and smelt him all
over. He held his breath, and pretended to be dead.
• The Bear soon left him, for it is said bears will not touch a dead
body.
• When the bear was quite gone, the other Traveler came down
out of the tree. With a clever grin, he inquired of his friend, “Just
what was it that the Bear whispered in your ear?”
• His companion replied, “He gave me this advice: Never travel
with a friend who deserts you at the approach of danger.”
• Moral: Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.
• Aesop
4. Goatherd and the wild goats
• One cold stormy day a Goatherd drove his Goats for shelter
into a cave, where a number of Wild Goats had also found
their way. The Shepherd wanted to make the Wild Goats
part of his flock; so he fed them well. But to his own flock,
he gave only just enough food to keep them alive. When the
weather cleared, and the Shepherd led the Goats out to
feed, the Wild Goats scampered off to the hills.
• "Is that the thanks I get for feeding you and treating you so
well?" complained the Shepherd.
• "Do not expect us to join your flock," replied one of the Wild
Goats. "We know how you would treat us later on, if some
strangers should come as we did."
• It is unwise to treat old friends badly for the sake of new
ones.
 • A Gnat alighted on one of the
5. The Gnat and the bull horns of a Bull, and remained
sitting there for a considerable
time. When it had rested
sufficiently and was about to
fly away, it said to the Bull, “Do
you mind if I go now?” The
Bull merely raised his eyes
and remarked, without
interest, “It’s all one to me; I
didn’t notice when you came,
and I shan’t know when you
go away.”
• We may often be of more
consequence in our own eyes
than in the eyes of our
6. The man and the little cat
• One day, an old man was having a stroll in the
forest when he suddenly saw a little cat stuck
in a hole. The poor animal was struggling to
get out. So, he gave him his hand to get him
out. But the cat scratched his hand with fear.
The man pulled his hand screaming with pain.
But he did not stop; he tried to give a hand to
the cat again and again.
• Another man was watching the scene,
screamed with surprise, “For god sakes! Stop
helping this cat! He’s going to get himself out
of there”.
• The other man did not care about him, he just
continued saving that animal until he finally
succeeded, And then he walked to that man
and said, “Son, it is cat’s Instincts that makes
him scratch and to hurt, and it is my job to
love and care”.