The King and the Servant
Once upon a time, at the edge of an old forest where cool waters flowed, there was a magnificent palace. In this palace lived a proud king who thought himself above everything in the world. Beside the king was a humble and wise servant who had served him faithfully for years. One sunny spring morning the king had gone out proudly for a walk in the wide garden of the palace in his gold-embroidered cloak. The old servant followed the king's steps in silence with a silver tray in his hand. The king raised his head towards the sky and called to his servant with an arrogant air. "Look at these lands: even the birds cannot beat a wing without my leave!" he said.
The servant took a deep breath, bowed his head with respect and chose to stay silent. But just then a strong and lively wind suddenly began to blow. The wind tossed the king's ornate cloak and blew his golden crown from his head into a muddy puddle. What is more, the flying specks of dust got into the king's eyes and suddenly left him as helpless as a blind man. Shouting in anger, the king cried, "How can the wind be so disrespectful to a great king?" The old servant calmly stepped forward and carefully took the muddy crown from the ground. While the servant wiped the crown with his handkerchief, he looked at the king's face and smiled slightly.
In a soft voice the servant said, "My lord, the wind does not tell a king from a servant." "Before nature we are all only mortals, and what comes from the earth returns to the earth," he added. The king paused for a moment before these sincere words and fell into deep thought. While wiping the dust from his eyes, he clearly grasped how blind his arrogance had made him. As he took his cleaned crown from the servant's hand, he thanked him sincerely for the first time. From that day on he became a more modest and just ruler towards his people and his workers. True greatness is hidden not in rank but in a person's humble heart. However tall the tree grows, it does not reach the sky.