Jataka Sky Falling Hare

tale:jataka_sky_falling_hare

A hare dozing under a tree is startled by the thud of a falling fruit and, certain the earth is breaking apart, bolts in terror. The other hares flee with it, then the deer, the boar, the buffalo, the elephants, until all the beasts stampede toward the sea. A wise lion halts them, traces the panic to its source, finds only a fallen fruit, and turns the herd safely home. Moral: trace a rumor to its root before you flee it. — Jataka tale