The Jackal and the Drum

In a vast forest, there lived a jackal named Gomaya. Once, a severe famine struck the forest, and food became very scarce. Gomaya had been hungry for many days. In his search for food, he reached a remote part of the forest that had once been a battlefield. The area was now deserted and silent. As Gomaya was wandering through the ruins, he suddenly heard a loud and terrifying sound—'Boom! Boom! Boom!' Hearing this, the jackal began to tremble with fear. He thought to himself, 'Oh my! This sound is like a giant monster. Surely some terrible creature lives here. It is better for me to run away from here, or else it will kill me.' He was about to run when a thought occurred to him. He told himself, 'Running away without knowing the nature of the danger is a sign of cowardice. Let me first see where that sound is coming from.' The jackal moved forward cautiously, hiding behind bushes. A short distance away, he saw a large drum. This drum had been left behind after a battle. Whenever the wind blew, the dry branches of a nearby tree would strike the surface of the drum, creating that loud noise. The jackal smiled. He realized it was just the sound of an inanimate object. He then thought that since the sound was so loud, the drum must be filled with fat or meat. With great effort, he tore open the leather of the drum, but when he looked inside, it was completely empty. Gomaya found no food, but he learned a very important lesson that day. He decided that from then on, he would never run away simply out of fear of a sound.