While walking one day, a teacher and his student came upon a beautiful green valley. From deep in the valley a noise came drifting up to them. In the valley below they could make out two groups of people. The sounds they were making were loud and angry.
"What is the matter down there?" asked the student.
"They are preparing to fight a war," said the teacher.
"What are they going to war about?" the sutdent asked.
"This valley," said the teacher.
"Why?" asked the student.
"Both sides want this valley for their own," said the teacher. "That group on the right, they want the grapes that grow on the hills and also able to pasture what few cattle they have in the valley floor. The group on the left, they want the valley floor to pasture their herds and they also want to be able to pick a few grapes."
"But the war doesn't make sense," said the student.
"Few do," said the teacher. "But they will fight and men will die and finally one side will have the valley to themselves; for a while."
"But couldn't they just share the valley with each other?" asked the student. "After all, they don't even want the same parts really."
"They could, but they won't," said the teacher. "They are afraid that the other side will view them as weak if they should suggest sharing. No, they would rather risk their lives to capture all the valley, win or lose, then suggest sharing the valley and look weak in the eyes of the others."
The student got a frown on his face. "That's foolish," he said.
"Yes," said the teacher.
"Does it have to be this way?" asked the student.
"No," the teacher said.
The frustration of the student was beginning to appear in his voice, "Then why fight?" he asked.
"In their eyes, they have no choice," the teacher said. "As long as compromise is viewed as weak, conflict will be viewed as strength."