cYCLE OF EVIl [a moral story]

There was once a
king who was so
cruel and unjust
that his subjects
yearned for his
death or
dethronement.
However, one day
he surprised them
all by announcing that he had
decided to turn over a new leaf.
“No more cruelty, no more
injustice,” he promised, and he
was as good as his word. He
became known as the ‘Gentle
Monarch’.
Months after his transformation
one of his ministers plucked up
enough courage to ask him
what had brought about his
change of heart, and the king
answered:
“As I was galloping through
my forests I caught sight of a
fox being chased by a hound.
The fox escaped into his hole
but not before the hound had
bitten into its leg and lamed it
for life. Later I rode into a village
and saw the same hound there.
It was barking at a man. Even as
I watched, the man picked up a
huge stone and flung it at the
dog, breaking its leg. The man
had not gone far when he was
kicked by a horse. His knee was
shattered and he fell to the
ground, disabled for life. The
horse began to run but it fell
into a hole and broke its leg.
Reflecting on all that had
happened, I thought: ‘Evil
begets evil. If I continue in my
evil ways, I will surely be
overtaken by evil’. So I
decided to change”.
The minister went away
convinced that the time was
ripe to overthrow the king and
seize the throne. Immersed in
thought, he did not see the
steps in front of him and fell,
breaking his neck.