"I am the most powerful!" boasted the Wind.
"No," replied the Sun, "I am the most powerful, and I can prove it. Do you see that man walking along the road?"
"Yes," replied the Wind.
"Well," said the Sun, "let's have a contest to see who can force that man to come to a halt, take off his cloak, and seek shelter under a tree."
"Agreed," said the Wind, and then he started to blow. The Wind blew as hard as he could, sending icy blasts of air in the man's direction. Suddenly growing cold, the man bundled himself up in his cloak even more tightly and hurried down the road even more quickly, trying to get home as soon as he could. This was just the opposite of what the Wind had wanted the man to do!
"That's enough," the Sun shouted, and the Wind stopped blowing. Then the Sun started to shine. Feeling the warmth of the sunshine, the man slowed down and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He then took off his cloak and sat down in the shade of a tree, glad to have found a place where he could rest.
"Look at that!" cried the Sun. "Because I turned the warmth of my rays upon him, the man has come to a halt, taking off his cloak and seeking shelter under a tree. That proves I am the most powerful!"
"I congratulate you, Sun," replied the Wind. "With the power of your warmth, you have won!"
The moral of the story is that you can accomplish more with warm words and affection than you can by cold-hearted aggression.
