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There was a large ancient tree in the heart of the village, which was located in a calm village surrounded by greenery. This tree was not only the oldest in the entire village, but it remained the Tree of Hope, Wisdom, and Shelter. Over the years, it saw so many stories unfold, been a venue for children’s playing, and just provided shelter for the exhausted traveler. Many passersby looked at it for years, but only one child named Rahul embraced the tree fully.

There was a daily scenario of Rahul, who was fond of going to the tree to spend his time talking to it or even playing around it from the time he went from school till evening. The tree was his best friend now; he used to speak to it but could not hear any response back from the tree. At times, should he get weary, he would sit with his back to the tree’s body, to be embraced by its strength.

On the following day, a drought struck the village. The moon came and went, but there was not even a single raindrop, and the entire village well ran dry. The people of the village started to panic because the crops and livestock in the region depended on water. The beautiful environment started to dry up and split, while the tree itself started to bend down, and many of its leaves turned yellow and tried to wilt. The villagers who once cherished the tree now held a different view about it. They needed a source of water, but all they saw were dry branches.

The council of elders sat down in a meeting and agreed that the tree should be cut down so that it wouldn’t be using any of the water from the soil. When Rahul got to know of it, he was heartbroken. He could not even think of the existence of a world in which this tree no longer stood.

With a heavy heart, Rahul decided that it was high time he did something. He tried begging them all to spare the tree; however, everyone present told him it could not be done. Desperate, he made a vow: He would go a whole day without water so that he could take water to the tree every day. Thus, each morning, he would use the little water they supplied him with and water the tree’s root, and then he drank the water. He wasn’t a wealthy man by any standard, but he understood that every liter of water was important.

Somewhere in the endless stretches of days, weeks went by, and still, the drought remained, but the tree did not. Rahul’s efforts reflected, and the villagers developed compassion towards the tree and started watering it with a small amount of water. People understood that Rahul’s feelings towards the tree were truthful and sincere. He showed a determination that activated a sense of responsibility.

One day, the villagers woke up to find the sky had been covered with clouds. Many days on end had come and gone; the skies had scorched the earth in this unforgiving heat, and finally, the rains came. The fields and wells started appearing abundant, and the trees started to turn full green due to the proper care and love offered by Rahul and the villagers.

Moral of the Story:

This story makes one important point: one’s attitude can go a long way. In the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid; the primitive and inferior man is he who does not know he is afraid and does not know that this fear should be a spur to fight.’ 

A single compassionate act could change the life of one person and, in turn, a whole community. Rahul’s selflessness touched the hearts of the villagers, and only by volunteering together did they find out that from the seed of love, hope, and liveliness, life sprouts even in the driest of times.

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