The Hart and the Hunter

A Hart was drinking at a pool and happened to see his reflection in the clear water. He was struck by the size and beauty of his antlers. What magnificent horns I have, he said, admiring them from every angle. But when he looked at his legs, he shook his head in disgust. My legs are so thin and spindly — how ugly they are.

Just then, a Hunter appeared and the Hart fled in terror. His despised legs carried him swiftly across the plain, and he was soon well ahead of the danger. But when he dashed into the forest, his magnificent antlers caught in the branches of a tree. He struggled desperately, but the more he fought, the more entangled he became.

The Hunter came up and ended his life. The Hart died lamenting that he had praised the very thing that destroyed him and despised the thing that could have saved him. We often value what is harmful and disregard what is truly valuable.