The Fire Line

A forest caught fire. Villagers rushed to fight it.

An old forester stopped them. "Don't fight the fire. Build a line."

They cleared a strip of trees and brush ahead of the fire's path. When the fire reached the line, it found nothing to burn. It stopped.

"But we lost those trees," a villager said, pointing at the cleared strip.

The forester pointed at the untouched forest beyond. "You kept those."