A small river flowed through a thick forest. There were many species of trees along its banks. On one long stretch there were only Pine and Cane trees with soft green grass along its bank.
The Pine trees were big and tall and thick enough to stand the strongest the forest had seen so far. When the river sometime overflowed its banks then the Pines will stand erect and proud in the midst of the gushing water. The Pines, proud of their strength, never bent down.
The Cane plants were slim medium tall plants and knew their strength and limitations. Being of humble nature they were never ashamed to bend down if the need arose.

One day a storm hit the jungle with cycloneic gale force. The winds were whirling around, lightning followed thunder and very heavy rains. The pine trees had never before experienced such a storm.
The rain become heavier and heavier and the wind blew faster and faster. The soil at their roots softened up by rain and the high wind uprooted them and they were swept away by the strong current of the swollen river.
The cane plants on the other hand swayed and bent with the winds and the river current. This allowed the cane plant to retain their hold on the soil and they were not uprooted.

A up rooted Pine tree floating by looked at a Cane plant and said, " In spite of our big size and strength, we could not save ourselves from the storm. How did you manage to survive though you are small and delicate?"
The Cane plant said, "You were proud of you strength and did not bend down even when you had no other option. But we never thought tat bending down as humiliating or demeaning. In fact it shows modesty and humility. So we are firmly rooted here."