The Crow, the Swan & the Peacock – A lesson in comparison ⏱️ 2-3 m...
The Crow, the Swan & the Peacock
why comparison steals our joy
The story
A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life. But one day he saw a swan. “This swan is so white,” he thought, “and I am so black. This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.”
🦢 The swan replied: “Actually, I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two colours. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation.”
The crow then approached the parrot. The parrot explained, “I lived a very happy life—until I saw a peacock. I have only two colours, but the peacock has multiple colours.”
The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him. After the people had left, the crow approached the peacock.
🦚 The peacock replied: “I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. But because of my beauty, I am entrapped in this zoo. I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. So for past few days I have been thinking that if I were a crow, I could happily roam everywhere.”
The lesson we often miss
That’s our problem too. We make unnecessary comparisons with others and become sad. We don’t value what God has given us. This all leads to the vicious cycle of unhappiness.
💡 Have life ahead — valuing the things God has given us. Learn the secret of being happy and discard the comparison which leads only to unhappiness.
🧭 Conclusion
The crow wanted to be the swan, the swan wanted to be the parrot, the parrot wanted to be the peacock, and the peacock wished to be the crow — free. Nobody was content. The cage of comparison traps us all. True happiness begins when we stop looking at others and start appreciating the unique gifts we already possess.
✨ “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
📖 Further reading: gratitude and contentment · breaking the comparison cycle
