“Happy birthday, Pappy!!! His grandchildren shouted as the old man entered the room.
They bought all kinds of gifts to celebrate their grandfather’s ninety-fifth birthday. The old man smiled, hugged one by one his twelve grandsons, and sat in the black leather chair.
“Pappy,” Omar said, raising his right hand as if he was in a classroom.
“Omar, do you need something?” the grandfather asked.
“Not really, Pappy. Today is your day. However, I have a question,” the boy said.
“What’s your question?” the old man asked.
“From your experience, what’s the greatest lesson you have learned ?”
“That is a brilliant question, Omar,” Pappy replied. He leaned back in the chair and added, “I have learned wisdom from the story of the ant and the buffalo.”
The room grew quiet. The grandchildren stared at the old man, inviting him to tell them the story.
“Do you want to hear the story of the ant and the buffalo?” he asked.
“Yes, Pappy !!” they replied.
“Okay, listen very carefully to the story. It will impact your life.” He paused, sipped a glass of water, and continued. “A huge buffalo was seeking for water to quench its thirst. He saw a lac. When he was moving towards the water, a column of ants blocked the way. Surprised to see so many ants, he stopped. The ant leader said to the buffalo, “To continue your way, you must first bow down to us.”
“Are you serious” the buffalo replied.
“Don’t play the fool with me,” warned the ant leader. “either you bow down before me, or you die of thirst,” the ant declared.
The buffalo didn’t say a word; he looked around to ensure no one watched and knelt before the ants.
An antelope hidden in the bush saw the scene. She couldn’t believe it. “How can a strong and powerful animal like a buffalo bow down before tiny ants?” she wondered.
The grandfather paused, sipped another glass of water, and asked, “what’s the moral of the story?”
The children gave random wrong answers. The old man patiently listened to them and said, “here is the meaning of the story. The ants represent problems or challenges people can face in life. The buffalo is a picture of us human beings. We are strong, intelligent, and gifted. But most of the time, we bow down before minor problems of life. People commit suicide, divorce, betray or kill each other for small stuff. Don’t give up and give in when you face life challenges. Use the power you have inside of you to crash your problems and soar like an eagle.”
