On a sunny afternoon, outside the garden at the edge of the forest, there was a green meadow. Here, it was a favorite place for animals to come to graze and rest. One day, a tall camel came pacing leisurely, and soon a petite sheep arrived at the same meadow with a skip and a jump.
The camel looked down at the sheep and said with a smile, “Hey, little man, look at me, how tall and majestic I am. Don’t you think that taller is always better?”
The sheep looked at him and replied in disbelief, “I don’t think so, I think there are advantages to being small. Flexible, lightweight and easy to walk everywhere!”
The two animals argued in this way, one saying that being tall is good, the other saying that being short is good, and neither one refused to give way.
The camel raised his head and said, “Then let’s compare and see whether tall is better or short is better.”
The sheep had a gleam in his eye, “Let’s compare and see who has a point.”
Saying so, they walked together to an orchard surrounded by a wall. The orchard was full of fruit trees with luxuriant branches, and many green leaves poked out from the wall as if greeting them.
With a proud tilt of his neck, the camel easily nibbled on the tender leaves beyond the wall. As he chewed the leaves, he looked at the sheep and said, “See, isn’t my height an advantage?”
Seeing this, the sheep was not willing to do so, and stood on tiptoe with its front legs on the root of the wall, desperately stretching its neck, but no matter how hard it tried, it was still so close to reaching it. It was a little frustrated, but still not convinced, pouting and said, “Hmph, this only shows that you have an advantage here, does not mean that you have always been better than me!”
The two of them continued to walk forward again, and suddenly saw a small door opening on the fence. The door was short and narrow, like it was only for small animals.
The sheep’s eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he stepped in and ran into the orchard without looking back, happily nibbling up the fresh grass on the ground.
The camel also wanted to enter the garden, but it was too tall, tried several times but could not squeeze into the small door. It lowered its head and knelt down on its front legs, but it still couldn’t get in. Seeing that the sheep was eating deliciously inside, it stood in the doorway, dry and anxious.
The sheep smiled and turned around and said, “Look, it’s my turn now, isn’t it? Being small has its advantages!”
The camel frowned and shook his head, “Hmph, that’s nothing, being tall is still more useful.”
The two animals went back and forth, neither one convincing the other. In the end, they decided to look for the wisest old ox in the forest to comment on their argument.
After listening to their argument, the old ox pondered for a while and slowly spoke, “You two, you have your own strengths and limitations. You can’t just look at your own strengths and think you’re better than others; you can’t just stare at others’ shortcomings and think they’re inferior to you. A truly intelligent animal will see others’ strengths and recognize its own shortcomings.”
After hearing this, the camel and the sheep looked at each other and both lowered their heads a little embarrassed.
From that day on, they no longer argued about who was taller and who was shorter, but learned to appreciate each other, helped each other, and became the best friends in the meadow.
Warm tips for children:
Children, do you think the old cow has a point? Each of us has something we are good at and something we can’t do. The important thing is not to compare ourselves with others to see who is better, but to learn to see the merits of ourselves and others. Knowing how to appreciate others is the key to becoming a better person.
Just as a camel is tall enough to eat the leaves of a high place, a sheep is small enough to enter a narrow door. Everyone can play to their strengths in different places. By respecting and learning from each other, we can improve and grow together.
The truth behind the story:
This story is ostensibly about a camel and a sheep arguing about being taller and shorter, but in fact it is telling us an important truth: one must not be complacent or presumptuous.
When we always feel that we are better than others, it is easy to look down on others and ignore our own shortcomings. And if we only see others’ strengths, we may lose our self-confidence. Keeping a humble and learning heart is the only way to keep growing.
In the story, the camel’s “tallness” is useful at some times, but it also limits it to do some things; the sheep’s “shortness” is a disadvantage in some places, but it also brings the benefit of flexibility. This is just like our real life, everyone’s ability and characteristics are different, the important thing is how to turn these differences into complementary, rather than competing with each other.
If you like this story, you can also try to draw a picture of the camel and the sheep in your mind, or talk to your mom or dad about what strengths you think you have and what you can work on to improve. Let the story not just listen to it, but turn into a life of small inspiration, small wisdom.
