This is the story about a little elephant named Chippy. Chippy lived happily with his herd in a dense, peaceful forest.
One day, Chippy noticed a trap set by humans to catch elephants. Realizing the danger, he immediately ran to his herd and warned them:
“Don’t go in that direction! Humans have set traps. Our lives are in danger!”
Because of Chippy’s timely warning, the entire herd changed direction, and many elephants were saved. Everyone in the herd was so proud of Chippy. They lifted him up and celebrated him with joy.
Chippy felt proud too.
“I’m so smart! I saved everyone at the right time,” he thought.
He began imagining himself as the leader of the herd and believed that he was the only one wise enough to guide them.
From that day on, whenever Chippy met any animal or bird, he kept talking about how he saved the herd.
“I saved them like this, I did that...” — he turned it into a story and repeated it to everyone.
Slowly, the herd started to drift away from Chippy. They got bored of hearing him talk only about himself and his achievements. He never let others speak or share their thoughts.
One day, Chippy found himself alone.
He realized, “I saved their lives, but now no one talks to me. No one wants to be near me.”
At first, he felt sad, then angry, and then truly heartbroken.
He didn’t know what to do, so he went to meet the King of the forest — the Lion.
Chippy asked, “King, what do you think about me?”
Chippy continued, “You are the king of this forest. You protect everyone here. Also, the reason humans don’t come here often is because they fear your presence. That’s why we all feel safe.”
The lion asked, “Who told you all this?”
“No one,” Chippy replied. “We see it with our own eyes every day. I know it myself.”
The Lion smiled and said,
“Okay... But have you ever heard me saying all this about myself to anyone?”
“No, King. Never.”
“That’s right,” said the Lion.
“You once saved your herd, and they appreciated you. That moment ended there. But you kept repeating the same story over and over. That’s why others moved away. They couldn’t bear to hear it anymore. You didn’t let anyone else speak — you only spoke about yourself.”
Hearing this, Chippy felt very sad.
The Lion continued:
“Chippy, sometimes life gives us a chance to help others. And we must help — it’s our duty. People may praise us for it, but we must never see it as a great achievement. If we keep doing good things, the value of our actions will stay alive. But if we just keep talking about it, the value fades.
Also, if you don’t let others speak, and if you always talk about your greatness, no one will want to be around you. That’s what happened here.”
Chippy bowed his head and said,
“I’m sorry, King. I won’t make this mistake again. Saving my herd was my duty. But feeling proud and showing off about it was my biggest mistake. An even bigger mistake was telling everyone about it repeatedly. I’ll never do it again.”
The Lion nodded, “Good. Things will change soon. Go now and be happy.”
From that day, Chippy stopped boasting.
Slowly, his old friends and herd members started returning to him. They began talking and playing with him like before.
Now, Chippy lives happily with his elephant herd again.
So kids, here's the lesson:
We don’t need to keep telling others about our achievements. If you truly did something good, others will recognize it when the time is right — just like the Lion did.
If life gives you a chance to help someone, help them with love. But don’t go around announcing it. That makes others feel irritated or distant.
If you want people to love and stay close to you, never be boastful. Be humble and kind. That’s the true way to live with happiness and friendship.
