Pride goes before a fall
People are never fond of anyone who is proud, over confident or over bearing. It is better to be humble than to have a superiority complex Invariably pride not only brings your downfall but also makes you look foolish. But people who are proud realize this only when they face a grave situation in life and the experience teaches them a valuable lesson.
Once there was a beautiful antelope that lived in a forest. He was very proud of his antlers and knew that it helped him look majestic. The antelope would feel very proud whenever other animals stopped by to have a look at him. He always thought that he was a special creation and all the other creatures were no match for him in looks.
But he was always discontented about his legs. He thought his legs were too thin and wished he had better-looking legs. His attitude was so haughty that the other animals did not befriend him at all. No one really liked or respected him although they did agree that he was a very good-looking antelope.
One day as he was quenching his thirst in a lake the antelope suddenly heard the sound of hunters nearby. He had been too busy admiring his reflection in the water that he had not heard the sound of the hunters earlier. Fear gripped him and he ran as fast as he could. The hunters were closing in on him but his legs were so powerful that he was much faster than them.
As he ran through the trees his antlers got caught in the branches of a tree and the antelope could not run further. He struggled to free his antlers and could hear the hunters getting closer. It was then that he realized that what he had all along thought of being his best feature was actually getting him into trouble. Whereas his legs which he had always looked down upon was actually saving his life.
Luckily with a little struggle the antelope was able to free its antlers from the branches and run to safety. The antelope realized at that moment that its pride had almost cost its life. All along, it had been very proud of its antlers and was blind to the dangers that it might bring about. Now it realized the value of being humble and was happy to be alive. Thereafter the antelope always thought very high of its legs.