The North Wind and The Sun- An Aesop Fable

Here is an age old fable from Aesop, that I recently stumbled upon. With all the wind around yesterday and the sun shining brightly today- it got me a thinkin' about the elements and us mere mortals :)

The North Wind boasted of great strength. The Sun argued that there was great power in gentleness.

"We shall have a contest," said the Sun.

Far below, a man traveled a winding road. He was wearing a warm winter coat.

"As a test of strength," said the Sun, "Let us see which of us can take the coat off of that man."

"It will be quite simple for me to force him to remove his coat," bragged the Wind.

The Wind blew so hard, the birds clung to the trees. The world was filled with dust and leaves.

But the harder the wind blew down the road, the tighter the shivering man clung to his coat.

Then, the Sun came out from behind a cloud. Sun warmed the air and the frosty ground. The man on the road unbuttoned his coat.

The sun grew slowly brighter and brighter.

Soon the man felt so hot, he took off his coat and sat down in a shady spot.

"How did you do that?" said the Wind.

"It was easy," said the Sun, "I lit the day. Through gentleness I got my way."

Initially when I first read this fable I thought, well now that is "wise". However, somehow I think it is a little more complicated than using gentleness to get your own way rather than brute strength!!

I don't mean to give poor old Aesop a hard time- but where is the moral. I mean both the north wind and the sun were exacting their "power" on a mere mortal for their own amusement. In the end both made the man feel uncomfortable- too cold and then too hot. Like the wind, the sun had exactly the same plan- to "force" the man to remove his coat.

Isn't getting your own way by gentleness, somehow more manipulative when ultimately the person you are trying to convince to change is negatively affected? Now the poor man is hot and sweaty, and has to carry his heavy winter coat around for the rest of the day!

I guess it just proves that no matter how gentle or how brute, us mortals here on earth are really at the whim of the elements. We have no control over them, and they constantly alter the environment in which we live in- we just endessly adapt to their power!!

Anyway I hope you enjoyed this little tale and my little verbal vomit of an analysis - enjoy the weather :)

Briony