Once upon a time, there lived a farming family in a beautiful village. The farmer
and his wife were blessed with five lovely children. Though they were a happy
family, the children often quarreled with one another over silly things. They grew
older but their quarrels showed no sign of stopping making the parents worried.
One day, the father came up with a brilliant idea to put an end to the fights
among his children.
Gathering them together, he proposed a new game.
“Let’s play a game today,” he said with a smile. “Each of you go to the forest and
bring back two sticks of wood.”
Excited children hurried to gather their sticks of wood. Upon their return, the
father instructed them further.
“Now, hold one stick of wood in each hand,” he said.
The children obeyed, holding the wooden sticks in their hands.
“Now, break the stick of wood in your hands into two,” the father asked.
With little effort, each child broke their single stick of wood in half.
“Good. Now, gather the rest of the sticks and tie them into a bundle,” the father
said again.
Working together, the children tied the rest of the five sticks into a tight bundle.
“Now, let’s see if any of you can break this bundle,” the father challenged.
No matter how hard they tried, the children couldn’t break the bundle of sticks.
Turning to his disappointed children who failed the challenge, the father
explained, “When you are divided and alone, like the single sticks of wood, you
are weak. But when you stick together, like this bundle of sticks, you are strong.
Do you understand?”
Realizing the wisdom in their father’s words, the children nodded in agreement.
From that day on, they learned to value harmony, never again let petty
disagreements come between them.
So, they lived happily ever after, united as a strong and loving family.