Tradition and story time — not medical advice
The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal
Retold for young children from Indian Fairy Tales (ed. Joseph Jacobs, 1892), public domain.
A tiger had been shut inside a cage by some hunters, and no matter how he paced and roared, he couldn't get free. When a kind-hearted traveler happened by, the tiger begged and pleaded until the man's heart softened, and he opened the cage door to let the tiger out.
The moment he was free, the tiger announced that he was going to eat the man after all — he was hungry, and that was simply the way of the world. The traveler was shocked and insisted this wasn't fair after he'd just been so kind. "Let's ask someone else what's fair, then," said the tiger, and they asked a tree, and a road, and a buffalo, who all agreed: kindness is often repaid with unkindness, that's just how it goes.
Just as the tiger was about to give up waiting and have his meal, a clever jackal came trotting along and offered to settle the argument — but first, he said, he needed to understand exactly what had happened, because he simply couldn't picture it. "You were inside this cage? Show me exactly how — I don't believe a big tiger like you could really fit."
Flattered and eager to prove it, the tiger climbed back inside the cage to demonstrate. The instant he was in, the jackal swung the door shut and latched it tight. "Now," said the jackal to the traveler, "you're just as free as you were before you ever let him out — and a good deal wiser." And the grateful traveler went safely on his way.
Talk about it (ours, not from the source): the jackal solved a big problem by asking a clever question instead of arguing. What's a good question that has helped you solve a problem?
Source: Indian Fairy Tales, ed. Joseph Jacobs (1892, David Nutt) — "The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal". Public domain. Read the original.
Why public domain: US: first published 1892, more than 95 years ago, so public domain in the US. Editor Joseph Jacobs died 1916; India's copyright term (life + 60 years) means the compilation has also been public domain in India since 1977.