Do you think you are “The Ugly Duckling?”
“He felt
quite glad that he had come through so much trouble and misfortune,
for now he
had a fuller understanding of his own good fortune, and of beauty when he met
with it…
…I never dreamed there
could be so much happiness, when I was the ugly duckling.’’
Hans
Christian Anderson
The Ugly Duckling
I bet
everyone must know the story of “The Ugly Duckling” and at some point I assume
everyone had felt like the Ugly Duckling at least once in our lifetime. We feel
so inferior and think such a loser compared to others. Sometimes, we feel we do
not comfit in any group and do not have anything to give to the others.
However, it is just a matter of perception. If we think in negativity, we will
react in a negative way.
Just
like the Ugly Duckling, he was rejected because he was too ugly or too
different from others although he can swim. Actually the Ugly Duckling is not
ugly at all but he is somewhat special. Unfortunately, the duck society
perceives it differently and could not accept that rarity. That is how the duck
society defines the term of beauty and how they react towards it. Humans also
act in the same manner and hardly think that the differences are something
special. However, we forget that if there were no unusual mind, then a new
invention would not be found. Sometimes the absurdity or oddity will open up to
the new discovery. But in the reality, our mind unconsciously tends to diminish
that differences and try to compromise what we are.
There would
be no rainbow if the day was not raining and the caterpillars would not change
into a beautiful butterfly if they were afraid of pupation. Sometimes people
are afraid to be themselves and let the negative feelings, for instance inferiority
and insecurity conquer their mind and behavior. Everyone dreams of the success
but somehow fear of the hurdles and boundary. Actually it is our thinking that
makes us afraid to grab the opportunity. We fear of the failures and mistakes,
thus make us avoiding from learn and experiencing something new. For example,
someone who wants to do a bungee jump but afraid of falling. They have the
spirits but somehow their feeling and perception oppose them from doing it.
I agree
that everything is a matter of perspective and our actions actually come from
how do we think about. As for me, I don’t think the Ugly Duckling story is
about turning yourself into a blonde Barbie doll or doing some plastic surgery
so that you can be beautiful, but it is about self-revelation and becoming who
you are. That is how I perceive the Ugly Duckling story and it is no wrong to
be different because our differences are our assets in our life. Of course
there are many obstacles before we achieve the title of success, but if we look
them in positivity, we would react in positive way too.
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the
most rare and beautiful of all.’’
By
the Emperor (Mulan movie)
