One day, a crow was flying and landed on a tree branch. While sitting there, he saw a swan swimming in a pond nearby. The swan had bright white feathers, and some villagers came to admire its beauty.
The crow became curious and flew closer to the swan. But as soon as the villagers saw the crow, they waved their hands to chase him away. The crow thought, maybe they're afraid I'll make the place dirty.
Feeling sad, the crow sat on another branch. But again, the villagers didn't want him around and drove him away. The crow felt hurt.
He saw how people loved the swan for its beautiful feathers, but no one liked him. With a heavy heart, the crow left the village and flew deep into a forest. Sitting on a tree branch, he started crying.
He said to himself, people hate me because of my black feathers. If only I had white feathers like the swan, I would be happy too. An old crow passing by saw him crying and asked, (1:43) why are you so sad young one? The crow replied, I hate my black feathers.
They look so ugly. Nobody likes me. The old crow smiled and said, if you could look like any bird, which one would you choose? The crow quickly said, I want to look like the swan.
Everyone admires it. The old crow said, there's a magical spring deep in the forest. If you bathe in its water with a pure heart, you can change how you look.
But before that, why don't you ask the swan if it is truly happy? The crow agreed and flew back to the pond. The crow went to the swan and asked, dear swan, you must be the happiest bird in the village. Your white feathers are so beautiful and everyone loves you.
Are you happy? The swan looked down and said, thank you for your kind words. My feathers may be beautiful, but I am not happy. People keep me as a pet and I cannot live freely.
When I grow old, they might even use me for my meat. I don't know if I'll still be alive tomorrow. The crow was shocked.
Then, who do you think is the happiest bird? The swan replied, I think parrots are the happiest. Their colorful feathers are more beautiful than my white ones and people don't eat them. The crow thanked the swan and flew off to find a parrot.
After searching for some time, he found one sitting on a branch. The crow said, dear parrot, your colorful feathers are so lovely. You must be the happiest bird.
The parrot sighed and said, my feathers are pretty, but because of them, people put me in cages. I spend my life locked up and I'm always scared. The crow felt even sadder.
He asked, who do you think is the happiest bird? The parrot replied, the peacock must be the happiest bird. People admire its beautiful feathers and they give it a big cage to live in. The crow flew to a zoo to meet a peacock.
He saw the peacock spreading its colorful feathers while many visitors admired it. The crow said, dear peacock, you are so beautiful. Your feathers are amazing.
You must be the happiest bird in the world. The peacock looked at the crow and said, no, my friend, I am not happy. People take my feathers and sell them.
It is painful when they pluck them and it keeps happening again and again. I wish I could live freely like you. No one bothers you and you can go wherever you want.
Hearing this, the crow was surprised. He realized he had been taking his freedom for granted. The crow thanked the peacock and flew back to the old crow.
He said, I don't want to be anyone else. I am happy to be a crow now. This story teaches us that everyone has their struggles.
Comparing ourselves to others only makes us unhappy. Instead, we should be thankful for what we have. Remember, you are unique and no one can be a better version of you than yourself.
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