The Four Trees

Four trees grow on a hill. Three are arrogant and boastful, while the fourth is content just being a tree. The proud trees are cut down and used for various purposes. They boast about their importance but are destroyed in an attack. Only the humble fourth tree survives and plants seeds for new trees. The story teaches the value of humility and contentment. The Four Trees. Once upon a time in a land not too far away, four trees started to grow on top of a small hill. Three of the trees are very selfish, arrogant and proud trees, always boasting how big and tall they will become, teasing each other how they will live forever. The fourth tree is all happy and content, just to be a tree. As time passes, the three proud and selfish trees spend all the days growing as tall and impressive as they can, boasting each and every day how wonderful they will be. The fourth tree listens, but is all happy and content, just to be a tree. Many years pass and the three trees all look impressive and have grown straight and tall, but they have grown ever more arrogant, selfish and proud, boasting and teasing constantly how they are better than the other and how surely they will now live forever. The fourth tree isn't the best looking or the tallest, but is all happy and content, just to be a tree. The woodcutter comes along and cuts the three proud arrogant trees down to the ground. The first tree is made into the city gates, the second tree a great worship and the third tree into a great place of worship. Each of the three trees is proud and happy of their new position in society, boasting that they are better than the other and how they really will live forever. The fourth tree is all happy and content, just to be a tree. A great army comes to attack. The city gates are destroyed. The great worship is sunk in the harbor and the great place of worship burned to the ground. Only the fourth tree survives, growing all the hill, all happy and content just to be a tree. The fourth tree knows that it cannot live forever, that the day must come when the fourth tree will too pass away. But not before it sets seeds to four little trees growing on that hill, all happy and content just to be a tree.