The frog and the ox

Parables and Illustrations for Values Education

Contents Illustrations and Parables

A frog saw an ox and found it so big and so strong that it wanted to be ardently as it. From that day began to hate herself: it was ugly, small, insignificant... He cursed his luck of frog, his parents that had made it so, the pond where he lived and was up to unbearable the melodious sounds that filled every night.
Then the frog got to eat and eat with the idea of becoming as big as the ox. Although he had no hunger, she was still eating. Her younger sister used to say:
-Look, sister, how I'm growing. Soon I will be as large as the ox.
-You've grown a bit, but still much you need to be like the ox.
The frog was still eating and eating, and although it did not grow much, was very thick and very awkward: could barely jump. Blind with his idea of grow and grow to be like the ox, it followed eating and getting fat to the point that no longer could not walk.
-I am already so large and beautiful like the ox?-asked him one day hard his little sister because he was so fat that hardly could not talk.
-As much as you eat, you will never be like the ox. You are a frog, and for wanting to be like the ox, you can no longer do the things of us frogs. Forget the ox and lives happily as a frog.
The frog was not a case of her sister and continued eating.
One day, ate both the frog that exploded and died.
(Adaptation of M. Capus, Pour charmer us petits).
Such is the story of the bat that Eduardo Galeano says:
When the weather was still very young, there was in the world more ugly than the bat bug.
The bat ascended into heaven in search of God. Not said to him: «I'm tired of being horrible. Give me colors feather." Lol He said: "Give me feathers, please, that I die of cold".
God had not left no pen.
-Each bird will give you a pen - decided.
Thus obtained the bat white feather pigeon and the Parrot green, iridescent Hummingbird feather and the pink flamenco, the tuft of Cardinal Red and blue back of the Kingfisher feather, Eagle wing clay pen and pen of Sun that burns on the chest of the Toucan.
The bat, lush colors and soft, walked between the Earth and the clouds. By where it was going, was cheerful air and silent birds of admiration. Say Zapotec peoples that the Rainbow was born the echo of your flight.
Vanity swelled her chest. He looked with disdain at the world and offended.
The birds then met. Together flew towards God.
-The bat makes fun of us - complained - and also feel cold by feathers missing us.
The next day, when the bat waved wings in full flight, he was suddenly naked. A shower of feathers fell on the Earth.
He goes looking for them yet. Blind and ugly, enemy of the light, live hidden in the caves. Sale to pursue lost feathers has fallen overnight; and flies very fast, without ever stopping because it gives shame to see it.
Acceptance of itself is the fundamental basis for a full and happy life. All received life as pure gift. No one asked us if we wanted to or not born, nor looked us how we wanted it to be our eyes, skin or hair color, or if you'd like to be small or tall, fat or skinny. We also chose the place of our birth or family that we were going to have. We could have been born in a miserable Ranch, a drunk father and a drug addict mother and possibly today would be that malandro we fear, or the child of the street that we despise. If we had born in Iran, possibly today would be a fundamentalist Muslim.
These reflections should lead us, firstly, to relativize our appearance and our social, cultural and even religious, condition since they were pure don if merit our and, secondly, not to consider us neither superior nor inferior to anyone, and to respect all people and all cultures.
We were born, they gave us the existence. In our hands is the mission to live it in a way that worthwhile, generating life instead of death. It is not important if you're handsome, strong, beautiful, intelligent, athlete, but what you do with those gifts, if you put them to produce life to others or use them purely for your enjoyment and to inflate your selfishness and vanity. And it is that life is not something that already given us fact, but is able to do many things that are worth. But you have to be very conscious of the own possibilities and limitations. Most of our frustrations and neurosis come from the desire of wanting to be what cannot be, wanting to appear that are not, cover with objects the emptiness of our heart.
Translated for educational purposes