How the Birds Picked a King

The bird clans, frustrated that their nominal king Garuda paid them no attention and never came to their aid, gathered to choose a real king who would actually protect them. Impressed by his solemn, dignified bearing, they settled unanimously on the owl and began an elaborate coronation ceremony.

Just as the ritual was underway, a crow arrived and, curious about the commotion, was invited to give his opinion too, since he was known as the shrewdest of birds. He immediately objected: why crown a creature who is blind precisely during the day, when most danger arrives? An ugly, fierce temperament wrapped around a fatal daytime blindness was no foundation for leadership, he argued, no matter how solemn the bird looked while sitting still.

Persuaded by this simple but crucial flaw no one else had considered, the birds abandoned the ceremony and flew off to reconsider, leaving the owl alone on his half-finished throne, confused about the delay.

When the owl learned that the crow's sharp question had cost him the crown, he was devastated and swore lasting enmity against the crow -- and the crow, reflecting afterward, regretted having spoken so bluntly in public, even though his point had been entirely correct, since needless public humiliation breeds enemies that careful private words would not have made.

The tale carries two lessons at once: choose leaders by testing them against the specific dangers they must face, not by their appearance of dignity -- and even correct criticism, delivered without care for the other person's dignity, plants a grudge that outlasts the argument itself.