A fox was caught in a trap and, in his struggle to escape, lost his beautiful bushy tail. He managed to free himself, but when he looked back and saw his magnificent tail caught in the steel jaws, his heart sank.

Now tailless, the fox felt ashamed and self-conscious. Everywhere he went, other animals stared at his stumpy rear end, and he could hear them whispering and pointing.

“Look at that poor fox,” they would say. “How unfortunate to lose such a beautiful tail!”

The fox grew tired of the constant attention and embarrassment. After much thought, he devised a plan to make himself feel better about his condition.

He called a meeting of all the foxes in the forest, claiming he had important news to share.

“My fellow foxes,” he announced when they had all gathered, “I have discovered something wonderful! I have learned that we have been carrying around these heavy, cumbersome tails for no good reason at all!”

The other foxes looked at each other in confusion, their beautiful tails swishing behind them.

“Think about it,” the tailless fox continued enthusiastically. “Our tails get caught in brambles, they collect burrs and dirt, and they make it harder to run quickly. They serve no useful purpose whatsoever!”

He gestured dramatically to emphasize his point. “I have liberated myself from this burden, and I feel lighter, faster, and more agile than ever before! You should all follow my example and rid yourselves of these useless appendages.”

An old, wise fox in the crowd stepped forward, his silver tail gleaming in the sunlight.

“My friend,” he said thoughtfully, “your argument might be more convincing if you still had your tail to give up voluntarily. But since you lost yours by accident, we suspect your advice comes not from wisdom, but from a desire to make us all look as unfortunate as you do.”

The other foxes murmured their agreement. “If having no tail is truly better,” said another fox, “why do you look so miserable? And why did you not choose to remove your tail before you lost it in the trap?”

The tailless fox realized his deception had been discovered. His attempt to make others share his misfortune had failed, and he slunk away in shame.

The foxes kept their beautiful tails, and they remained wary of advice given by those who stood to benefit from others’ misfortune.

Moral: Beware of advice from those who would benefit from your misfortune. Misery loves company, and people often try to persuade others to share their problems rather than solve them.