The Trees and the Axe

Deep in the heart of a vast, ancient forest, the tall Oak, Ash, and Pine trees stood proudly together. For hundreds of years, they had lived in perfect peace, providing shade for the animals and growing tall beneath the sun.

One day, a man walked into the forest carrying a heavy piece of sharp metal. It was an axe-head, but it had no wooden handle. Without a handle, the metal was completely useless, and the man could not chop anything.

The man stood in front of the grandest Oak tree and spoke kindly. “Great trees of the forest,” he said, bowing his head. “I have a small favor to ask. I only need one short, sturdy piece of wood to make a handle for my tool. If you give me just one branch, I promise I will not bother you again.”

The big trees whispered to each other in the wind. The Oak tree rustled his leaves. “It is such a small request,” the Oak said to the others. “We are a massive forest. Giving him one little piece of wood will not hurt us.”

The Ash and the Pine agreed. To be helpful, they decided to sacrifice a small, plain Ash tree that was growing near the edge of the woods. They commanded the little Ash tree to give up its strongest branch to the man.

“Thank you!” the man smiled. He quickly took the sturdy Ash branch and fitted it perfectly into the metal hole of his axe-head.

The very moment the handle was secured, the man’s kind smile disappeared. He gripped the new wooden handle tightly, swung the heavy axe over his shoulder, and struck the very broad Oak tree that had just helped him! WHACK!

The man was a lumberjack, and he spent the entire afternoon mercilessly chopping down the best, tallest trees in the forest.

The Oak, bruised and falling, looked over at the Ash and the Pine. “We have brought this upon ourselves,” the Oak groaned sadly. “If we had only protected the little Ash tree and refused to give the man the handle, we would have been safe forever.”

By handing the lumberjack the wood for his axe, the careless trees had given their enemy exactly what he needed to cut them down.

Moral of the Story: Beware of the enemy who asks you to provide his weapons. Do not give away the tools of your own destruction.