Beware those who preach sacrifice while hiding their own losses

 

A fox once escaped a trap—but at a cost. His tail remained snared, leaving him tailless and ashamed. Knowing his fellow foxes would mock his condition, he devised a plan: If he couldn’t regain his tail, he’d convince the others to lose theirs.

At the next gathering, he addressed the assembly with practiced conviction:

"Friends, tails are useless burdens! They catch in brambles, slow our sprint, and attract hunters’ arrows. I’ve never felt freer than since losing mine!"

The foxes murmured, some swayed by his passion. Then a sly elder rose, his own lush tail sweeping the ground.

"How persuasive," he smirked. "But tell me—had you not lost your tail, would this ‘wisdom’ ever occur to you? Until misfortune befalls me, I’ll keep my tail—and my skepticism."

The tailless fox slunk away, exposed.