Long ago, there was a troop of baboons living peacefully together. Every day, they foraged for food, and at night, they slept on the large rocks that dotted their home. Life was calm, and each baboon knew its place in the troop.
One day, the largest and strongest baboon decided to make himself the chief. He boasted to the entire troop that he was the strongest, the smartest, and the most important, and that everyone must obey him. The other baboons tried to resist, but they were neither strong nor clever enough to defeat him. Instead, the new chief grabbed their tails, bit, and bullied them until all of them obeyed out of fear.
The new chief was pleased with his authority. He asked, “Who is the most important baboon here?” and the entire troop replied in unison, “You are! You are!” Soon, an older baboon suggested a way for everyone to easily recognize the chief: he should wear something on his head. This would mark him as the leader so that the troop could always know who was in charge. The chief, though dismissive of their advice, accepted when they presented him with a beautiful cloth tied around his head like a crown.
With the cloth on his head, the chief began to demand that every baboon mimic all of his actions. When he stopped, they stopped. When he sat down, they sat. When he climbed a tree, they climbed. Even when he lay down to sleep on the rocks, the entire troop slept along with him. His power seemed complete, and all the baboons followed without question.
However, after wearing the cloth on his head for a long time, the chief began to feel a severe headache. When he sat up and held his head, the other baboons immediately copied him, since they always followed every action of the chief. All of them cried out, “Ouch! Ouch!”, suffering from the pain caused by wearing the cloth for so long. The chief screamed that the cloth was killing him, and the entire troop echoed his cries.
In a panic, the chief ran across the rocks, yelling and thrashing about, with the entire troop running after him. In the chaos, the chief fell from the rocks, and the other baboons jumped in pursuit. The chief was crushed under the feet of the troop.
And so, the reign of the tyrannical baboon chief came to an end.
The story teaches that power based on fear and blind obedience is never lasting, and that following orders without thinking can lead to serious consequences. It reminds readers that leadership requires wisdom and respect, not cruelty or intimidation.