One day, the donkey said to the tiger:
“The grass is blue.”
The tiger disagreed:
“No, the grass is green.”
This led to an argument between the two, and eventually they decided to ask the lion—the king of the jungle—for a judgment.
The donkey called out loudly:
“Your Majesty, isn’t it true that the grass is blue?”
The lion answered calmly:
“If you believe it is so, then the grass is blue.”
Then the donkey continued:
“The tiger contradicts me, he opposes me, and he annoys me. Please punish him!”
The lion said:
“The tiger shall be punished with five years of silence.”
The tiger accepted the punishment, but before he left, he asked the lion:
“Your Majesty, why are you punishing me? After all, the grass is green.”
The lion nodded and replied:
“Indeed, the grass is green.”
Confused, the tiger asked:
“Then why this punishment?”
Then the lion said:
“Your punishment has nothing to do with the truth about the grass—whether it is green or blue. It is for you, because it is foolish for a wise creature like you to waste your time arguing with a donkey. Even worse: that you then bother me with such a pointless question.”
And the lion concluded:
“The greatest waste of time is arguing with fools or fanatics who do not care about truth or reality, but only seek to win their beliefs and illusions.”
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The lesson from the story
There are people who—no matter how much evidence you show them—cannot or will not understand. Some are blinded by pride, hatred, or bitterness. Their only goal is to be right, even when they are wrong.
A basic principle of success is therefore: Stay willing to learn and open to instruction.
The most successful people always keep their hearts and minds open to new insights—but only from those who are ahead of them on their path and from whom they can truly learn.
Avoid falling into the trap of arguing with people who only want to deliberately misunderstand you.
Recognize when you are dealing with such people—and, if necessary, draw your own conclusions by reconsidering your circle.