The Donkey on the Roof
A donkey climbed up to the flat roof of a high house. Seeing a dangerous wolf passing on the road below, the donkey took courage from the height and began raining insults and curses on the wolf. The wolf raised his head, looked at the donkey, and smiled calmly. The wolf said "O donkey! It is not you who utter these insults to me, but that high roof you stand on; if you were below, not even your voice would come out."
Those who insult others by hiding behind high positions and sheltered locations they occupy forget that courage comes not from themselves but from the location. A person's strength and heart are revealed when facing each other under unprotected and equal conditions. Borrowed heights do not make a person brave, they only give temporary insolence. Positions are temporary; when the ground beneath slips, a person is left alone with their own bare reality.
One who insults by hiding behind a position should not think it comes from their own power. Courage comes not from location, but from the heart. An insolent one on high shrinks below. Power of a position is temporary.
Borrowed height does not give courage. One having no courage to face each other should not shout. Hiding behind a location is cowardice.