A farmer in ancient China had a neighbor who was a hunter and who owned ferocious and poorly trained hunting dogs. The dogs frequently jumped over the fence and chased the farmer's lambs. The farmer asked his neighbor to keep his dogs in check, but this fell on deaf ears. One day, the dogs again jumped the fence, attacked, and severely injured several of the lambs. The farmer had had enough and went to town to consult a judge who listened carefully to the story and said:
"I could punish the hunter and instruct him to keep his dogs chained or lock them up. But you would lose a friend and gain an enemy. Which would you rather have, friend or foe, for a neighbor? “The farmer replied that he preferred a friend. “All right, I will offer you a solution that keeps your lambs safe and which will keep your neighbor a friend.” Having heard the judge's solution, the farmer agreed.
Once at home, the farmer immediately tested the judge's suggestions. He took three of his best lambs and presented them to his neighbor's three small sons, who were beside themselves with joy and began to play with them. The hunter built a strong kennel for his dogs to protect his son's newly acquired playthings. Since then, the dogs have never again bothered the farmer's lambs.
Out of gratitude for the farmer's generosity toward his sons, the hunter often shared the game he had hunted with the farmer. The farmer reciprocated by sending the hunter the cheese he had made. Within a short time, the neighbors became good friends.
Moral: “One can win over and influence people with gestures of kindness and compassion.”