Sorrow Of The Peacock.

Original chinese story, translated and retold:

One day my friend gave me a simple test. I was to assume i have 5 animals with me. Tiger, Monkey, Peacock, Elephant and a Dog. I went to a ancient jungle, a journey of fraught dangers. Since the journey gets tougher, we will have to abandon an animal 1 by 1 at a time. What order shall it be?

And i chose: [ Peacock, Tiger, Dog, Monkey, Elephant ] "Ha! I knew that you would choose peacock as the first to let go. Everyone does that." So i thought to myself, "do peacocks have meanings? My friend explained: "Peacock represents your Lover, companion, partner. Tiger is your desire for power and wealth. Dog is friends, Monkey is Children and Elephant is Parents. This question reveals what you treasure under hardship , and let your understand what kind of person are you, moral values, principes etc."

The Peacock represents our lover? I was appalled. I would abandon my lover under adversity? Why did i chose peacock to be the first to go? It is because the peacock is the one which help the least during times of difficulties. That time i seriously think that my friend's judgement is absurd. I then let my other friends take the test, and suprisingly to my friend's opinion, they also chose peacock as the first to abandon. When i told them the response for this question, they reacted the same way i did. Some of them even claimed that the person who designed this test must be mentally unsound.

One day, i called a friend, suddenly thought of this question and let him took the test. He contemplated for a very long while and answered: [Monkey, Tiger, Elephant, Dog, Peacock]. I was totally taken aback by his answer. He was the only person that chose to abandon the peacock in the very end. And so i asked why. He was astounded, and answered my inquiry: "Ya, of course. Think about it... Among all the animals, the peacock is the only animal that have the LEAST capability to protect itself against harm. So how could i easily abandon it to a place of sheer danger?" "

Then, it just dawned on me, this piece of sorrow.
(诗华日报 Health, Issue no.381, September 13 2008)
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*In the process of our decisions, most of us only consider about the weightage of what and how much others can do for us; and we did not think about others who require what and how much we can do for them.*