The Indians asked their Chief in autumn, “Chief, is this coming winter going to be mild or cold?”
Not really knowing an answer, and knowing it was better to err on the side of caution, the chief replied, “It is uncertain at this time, but we should begin to prepare just in case. Collect wood as if it is going to be cold, and I’ll see what more I can learn.”
Being a good leader, he then went to the phone and called the National Weather Service and asked, “Is this winter going to be mild or cold?”
The man on the phone responded, “This winter was going to be quite cold indeed.”
So the Chief went back to speed up his people to collect even more wood to be prepared. A week later, he again called the National Weather Service again, “Is it going to be a cold winter?”
“Yes,” the man replied, “it’s going to be an extremely cold winter. The Indians are collecting all the wood they can find!”