One day, the lion, known as the King of the Forest, approached the God and said, "I am deeply grateful to You for granting me such a magnificent physique and immense strength, allowing me to rule this entire forest."
The God smiled and asked, "But that is not why you have come to see me today, is it? It seems you are troubled by something."
The lion gave a soft roar and replied, "You truly know me, Great God! Indeed, I have a request. Despite my strength, I am always startled awake by the crowing of the rooster every morning. O God! I pray that You grant me another power—the strength to no longer be awakened by the rooster's cry."
The God chuckled and said, "Go and find the elephant; it will give you a satisfactory answer."
The lion hurried to the lakeside to find the elephant. Before he even saw the elephant, he heard the heavy "thud, thud" of its stomping feet. He rushed toward the elephant, only to see it stomping its feet in a fit of rage.
The lion asked, "Why are you so angry?"
The elephant shook its massive ears and roared, "A tiny, annoying mosquito keeps trying to crawl into my ears! It's driving me crazy with the itching!"
The lion left the elephant, thinking to himself, "So, even an elephant as massive as this can be bothered by such a tiny mosquito. What do I have to complain about? The rooster crows only once a day, whereas the mosquito harasses the elephant constantly. In that sense, I am much luckier than him."
As the lion walked, he looked back at the elephant still stomping its feet and thought, "The God sent me to see the elephant to show me that everyone encounters troubles, and He cannot help everyone. Since that is the case, I must rely on myself! From now on, whenever the rooster crows, I will treat it as a reminder to wake up. Thinking of it this way, the rooster's cry is actually quite beneficial."
On the journey of life, no matter how smoothly we proceed, we often fall into the habit of complaining about being treated unfairly by fate whenever we encounter even minor setbacks, praying for more strength to overcome them. In reality, fate is the most impartial; just as it is with the lion and the elephant, every hardship possesses its own positive value. An obstacle is simply a new known condition. If we are willing, any obstacle can become an opportunity to surpass ourselves.
