Strong and Weak Trait

An oak and a reed were arguing about their
strength. When a strong wind came up, the reed
avoided being uprooted by bending and leaning
with the gusts of wind. But the oak stood firm
and was torn up by the roots.

-- Aesop

Within each of us, as in the reed and the oak, is a single characteristic which is both our strongest and weakest trait.

The bending which keeps the reed alive makes it weak, we might think.

Some of us see both sides of every argument and are good team players, fair judges, and compassionate friends.

But like the reed -- always bending to the needs of others -- we may never know what we want or who we are.

Some of us believe we are like the oak: strong and tough and successful in the face of most difficulty.

But we may never learn to accept flaws in ourselves.

We are wise to remember that no trait is strong or weak, but we make it so by how we use it.

We can use our strength to stand straight in the face of hardship, and we can use our strength to bend.