Once upon a time, there was a farmer who had set up traps to catch cranes that were causing damage to his crops. One day, as he checked his traps, he found that a stork had been caught in one of them. Feeling sorry for the stork, the farmer decided to spare its life and set it free.
The stork, grateful for the farmer’s kindness, thanked him and promised that it would remember his act of mercy. The farmer smiled and went about his work, thinking nothing more of the incident.
However, a few days later, when the farmer’s fields were ripe with grains, he noticed a large flock of storks descending upon his crops. The storks were feasting on the grains and causing significant damage.
Angered by the sight, the farmer grabbed a stick and started chasing the storks away. He shouted at them, “You ungrateful creatures! I spared one of your kind, and now you repay me by ruining my harvest?”
One of the storks, with wisdom in its eyes, replied, “Dear farmer, do not blame us for seeking food. You spared one stork, and we are grateful for that. But remember, we are birds of a feather, and it is in our nature to travel in flocks. What one stork might do out of gratitude cannot control the actions of the entire flock. It is not fair to punish all of us for the actions of a few.”
The farmer paused and realized the truth in the stork’s words. He lowered his stick and said, “You are right. I should not judge all of you based on the actions of one stork. But please, if you must eat from my fields, do so in moderation, so my family can also have enough to eat.”
The storks agreed and promised to be more mindful of their consumption. From that day on, the farmer and the storks coexisted peacefully, understanding that one act of kindness could not control the behavior of a whole group.
The moral of the story is that it is important not to judge an entire group based on the actions of one individual. One act of kindness or one act of mischief should not define the entire character of a group or community.