Most of you are already know what the greek writer Aesop was most known for: his fables. There is a huge store of knowledge located in Aesop's fables, and each fable is fantastic in it's own right, but I was particularly struck with a fable that I found the other day about a peacock's visit to the goddess Juno.
You ready? Good, because here is my newfound favorite fable by Aesop:
"The peacock was greatly discontented because he had not a beautiful voice like the nightingale, and he went and complained to Juno about it. 'The nightingale's song,' said he, 'is the envy of all the birds; but whenever I utter a sound I become a laughingstock!' [I'm going to interject here that if you've ever heard the sound a peacock makes, you'll probably sympathize with the poor bird on this one.] The goddess tried to console him by saying, ' You have not, it is true, the power of song, but then you far excel all the rest in beauty. Your neck flashes like the emerald, and your splendid tail is a marvel of gorgeous color!' But the peacock was not appeased. 'What is the use,' said he, 'of being beautiful, with a voice like mine?' Then Juno replied, with a shade of sternness in her tones, 'Fate has allotted to all their destined gifts: to yourself beauty, to the eagle strength, to the nightingale song, and so on to all the rest in their degree. But you alone are dissatisfied with your portion. Make, then, no more complaints, for if your present wish were granted, you would quickly find cause for fresh discontent.'"
Like all of Aesop's fables, this one has a very important moral. These fables will ring differently to each one of us, but here is the insight I gained from reading this tale: First, your happiness is totally independent from your position in life and the things you do or do not have. Suppose that Juno had granted the gift of song to the peacock, as goddesses sometimes do. Would this solve his problem? Would he be happy because he had been given what he wanted? Maybe for a little while, but you can bet your last penny that pretty soon the peacock would grow tired of his beautiful new station in life as a songbird and want something else - the power of flight, perhaps. No matter what he was granted, the peacock would never be happy. Why? He was relying on something or someone else to provide happiness for him! The poor peacock didn't realize that the most humble and lowly of birds can lead perfectly happy lives, simply because they choose to do so! Happiness is a matter of the heart, not the hearth! Have you ever met a peacock? Are you sometimes a peacock?
Determining to teach the peacock a lesson, Juno reminds him that everyone has their different strengths and weaknesses, and that it's our job to be happy and make the most of what we are given! Your family may not be as perfect as your neighbors, or your health may not be as up to par as your best friend's, or your life may just not seem as rosy as the person down the hall. But in the end, your life is yours, and it was made especially for you! So lets be happy and grateful that theres so much variety in the talents we are given and the things we are asked to endure!
Because honestly, it would be pretty boring if everyone was a peacock.
