The important thing is not the exterior beauty, it is the interior. This is the teaching that is at the end of the story, when he finally discovers who he is and where he belongs, becoming a beautiful swan.
The duckling never felt different until the moment he was REJECTED. He did not look at the outside, he wanted to be there and be part of the group.
THE UGLY DUCKLING.
On a beautiful summer morning, the eggs that Mama Pata had hatched began to break, one by one. The ducklings were leaving little by little, filling the parents and their friends with happiness. They were so happy that they almost did not realize that an egg, the largest of all, still remained intact.
Everyone, even the newborn ducklings, concentrated their attention on the egg, to see when it would break. After a few minutes, the egg began to move, and then you could see the beak, then the body, and the legs of the smiling duck. It was the largest, and to everyone's surprise, very different from the others. And since it was different, everyone started calling him the Ugly Duckling.
Mother Pata, embarrassed to have had such an ugly duckling, turned away from him while paying attention to the other ducklings. The ugly duckling began to realize that they did not want him there. And as he grew, he became even uglier, and had to endure the teasing of everyone. Then, the next morning, very early, the duckling decided to leave the farm.
Sad and alone, the duckling followed a path through the forest until he reached another farm.
The winter had arrived, and with it, the cold, hunger and persecution of the hunters for the ugly duckling. He had a very bad time. But he survived until the arrival of spring. The days became hotter and full of colors. And the duckling began to cheer up again. One day, as he passed by a pond, he saw the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. They were elegant, delicate, and moved like true dancers, through the water. The duckling, still besotted by the figure and the awkwardness that he had, approached one of them and asked if he could also take a bath in the pond.
And one of the swans replied:
- Well, of course! Are you one of us.
And the duckling said:
- How come I'm one of yours?
I am ugly and clumsy, the opposite of you.
And they said:
- Then, look at your reflection in the water of the pond and you will see how we do not deceive you.
The duckling looked at himself and what he saw left him speechless. It had grown and transformed into a beautiful swan! And at this moment, he knew that he had never been ugly. He was not a duck but a swan. And so, the new swan joined the others and lived happily ever after.
WE MUST NOT FORGET THE FOLLOWING:
We are all different, some white skin, some brown and others black. Dark and light eyes. Some highs, others low. Some straight hair other wavy ..... We are not the same Externally.
But how much does this affect children mainly in today's society?
Respect and Acceptance play an important role in all this. When we have our defined identity, it does not affect us as others see us. The potential is within each of us, we must learn to look inside people, the physical does not define who we are or how much value we have.
A child with low self-esteem will be an adult full of frustrations, will not do what he wants, but what he believes will like others, all with the intention of being accepted.
What concepts should we remember from this teaching?
Respect:
Consideration that something is worthy and must be tolerated.
Identity:
Information that officially define a person and allow to distinguish it from another.
Acceptance:
It is related to approving, accepting or receiving something voluntarily and without opposition.
Empathy:
It refers to the ability of one person to understand another person emotionally (to put oneself in the shoes of the other person).
