When facing difficulties, we should not merely complain about the unfairness of fate. In reality, fate is the fairest; every adversity has a positive value behind it. When we learn to find the positive aspects within our troubles, the difficulty loses much of its intimidation.
One day, the Lion, known as the King of the Jungle, came before the God of Heaven. He said, “I am grateful for the mighty physique and immense strength you have bestowed upon me, which allow me to rule over the entire forest.”
The God smiled and asked, “But that does not seem to be the reason for your visit today. It appears that something is troubling you.”
The Lion gave a soft roar and said, “You truly understand me! I did come to make a request. Despite my abilities, I am always startled awake by the crowing of roosters every morning. God, please grant me one more strength so that I will no longer be awakened by the rooster's crow.”
The God laughed and said, “Go to the Elephant; he will give you a satisfactory answer.”
The Lion hurried to the lakeside to find the Elephant. Before even seeing him, the Lion heard the loud thumping of the Elephant’s feet.
As the Lion ran faster, he saw the Elephant stamping its feet furiously.
The Lion asked, “Why are you so angry?”
The Elephant flapped its large ears desperately and shouted, “There is a讨厌 mosquito that keeps trying to fly into my ears. It is driving me crazy with the itch.”
After leaving the Elephant, the Lion thought to himself: “So, even an Elephant of such huge size is afraid of a tiny mosquito. Then what is there for me to complain about? After all, roosters crow only once a day, whereas mosquitoes harass the Elephant at all times. In this light, I am much luckier than he is.”
Walking away, the Lion looked back at the still-stamping Elephant and reflected: “The God wanted me to see the Elephant’s situation to tell me that everyone faces troubles, and the God cannot help everyone all the time. If that is so, I must rely on myself. From now on, when the rooster crows, I will view it as a reminder to get up. Thinking of it this way, the crowing is actually beneficial to me.”
