A mantis grew extraordinarily stout and robust. As he walked around the backyard, brandishing his powerful forelimbs, he could easily catch smaller insects like locusts and crickets. Being stronger and more successful than others, he felt he should be the leader of his kingdom.
One day, his authority was challenged by another strong mantis. After a fierce fight, the mantis defeated his challenger, who fled outside the backyard and disappeared. The victor, unable to find the loser, vented his anger by killing two locusts and three crickets, terrifying the other insects into fleeing.
Intoxicated by victory, the mantis stood alone on the road, believing himself to be the most indomitable creature in the world. Soon, he heard a strange sound in the distance: a man pushing a one-wheeled wooden cart toward him.
Having never seen such a thing, the mantis stood his ground, brandishing his forelimbs, convinced he could frighten away this unknown monster just as he had defeated his challenger.
A moment later, the cart's wheel rolled over the poor, self-important mantis, crushing him without the driver even noticing.
In our society, there are many such 'mantises.' They consider themselves superior to others and overestimate their abilities because they have never encountered a "wooden cart."
A Chinese proverb says, "If you think you are the strongest, there is always someone stronger than you; if you think your world is the largest, there is always a world larger than yours."