The Spider and the Termite Queen

The Spider, a known braggart, claimed he could build a house faster than the entire nation of Termites. The Termite Queen, insulted, accepted the challenge. "By sunset tomorrow," she declared, "we will see whose house is greater." The Spider worked all day and all night, spinning a magnificent, shimmering web between two great trees. It was beautiful, but it was fragile. The Termite Queen, meanwhile, commanded her millions of subjects. They worked in perfect unison, bringing tiny grains of mud and wood, and built a massive, solid mound, a fortress of earth. As the sun set, a great storm came. The Spider's beautiful web was torn to shreds by the wind and rain in moments. The Termite mound, however, stood firm, its hard walls shedding the water. The Spider had created a thing of beauty, but the Termites had created a thing of strength and community. The story teaches that the collective, unified work of a community will always be stronger and more enduring than the flashy, individual effort of a single braggart.