The Ox and the Cat

by Rosan (year 12)

Owl: Whoa, what’s wrong? 

Ox: Cat lied to me. He said that my flower crown looked good, but it didn’t! I looked silly and it was all his fault! 

Cat: I had good reason. What does it matter if I lied? 

Ox: You should never lie; if you do you’re a terrible cat! 

Owl: That’s harsh, Ox. Why do you think that? 

Ox: I felt hurt when I found out I looked silly. When you lied to me you didn’t let me properly choose whether I wanted to wear the flower crown or not. 

Owl: That’s understandable, Ox. What about you, Cat? 

Cat: I thought it was okay to lie, because I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. You seemed so pleased with your flower crown. Who cares what other people think? 

Ox: I care though. And I care when people lie. 

Cat: I’m sorry. Now that I understand what’s important to you, I can be more careful with my actions. 

Owl: When we disagree it’s easy to stick to our principles and disregard the other person, especially when our feelings have been hurt. But we should be careful not to be unreasonably stubborn. By showing some empathy, we can end conflict and deal with situations in a respectful way.