Once upon a time, in a small village by the river, lived a flock of chickens. Though they lived in the village no villager owned them. They were free … as free as chickens can be. The leader of the flock—a rooster—woke the village up every morning. The hens laid eggs for the villagers to consume. The villagers loved them and fed them grains. Life was beautiful.
One night a wolf came from the nearby forest and took away an old hen. The rooster noticed and woke the villagers up while it was still dark. However, since there were several hens, the villagers did not notice the missing hen. They thought there was something wrong with the rooster.
After a few days, the wolf came again … then again … and then again. Each time the rooster noticed … he crowed … while it was still dark. Every time the villagers thought there is something wrong with the rooster.
A fox saw the whole drama. So one night, when the villagers were asleep, the fox came up to the chickens and said, “I see y’all are afraid of the wolf! Don’t worry, I can protect y’all. I know of a cave up the hill, the mouth of which is so small that only one chicken at a time can enter the cave. The wolf can never get inside the cave. Y’all will be safe there. And I will bring you food so long you give me all your eggs.”
The chickens thought it was a fair deal and agreed to follow the fox up the hill and to the cave. However, the rooster didn’t want to live the rest of his life in a dark cave. He loved the sun, his freedom, and the villagers. He knew that his morning call—that wakes up the village every morning—was the main purpose of his life. He didn’t give in to the fox’s temptation of safety and security. To him to be free … to live a life of purpose … was more important.
Next day, when the villagers woke up to the rooster’s call they were horrified to find that all the other chickens were gone. However, they soon realized that not all was lost. They had the rooster and they still had several eggs.
Meanwhile, in a cold dark cave up the hill, the chickens jostled for space. They never had enough space … nor enough food. The food that the fox got for them could only feed half of the flock. Each day, the weakest of the flock died … out of hunger … out of sickness due to lack of sunlight.
The fox never needed the eggs. A dead chicken a day was enough for him.
