A Frog on a Lily Pad
“Have you heard the story — Frog in a Well—a Chinese allegory?”
The story goes that a frog lived its whole life in a well and never saw anything beyond the walls of the well. One day, a bird flew down into the well and told the frog about the vast world outside. The frog laughed at the bird, saying that the well was the entire world. The bird tried to explain to the frog that there was a much bigger world outside, but the frog refused to believe it.
Through the eyes of the frog in the well, the world is a well with a round wall and muddy water. The sky is a blue cover. Oceans and mountains do not exist. The entire world is a wet place. He knows nothing of the great ocean.
The well represents its comfort zone because it is a familiar and safe place. Because of its limitations in knowledge frameworks, it has a short-sighted perspective of the world and refuses anything else.
This metaphor is for people who are stuck in their own ways, unwilling to change or see the world from a different perspective. They are content with their own small world.
This story, one of my many, follows the classic route of delivering moral wisdom packed in metaphors, hoping to capture my children’s interest, whenever and wherever that may be.
Leisurely strolls and deep talks about life’s intricacies—these are the precious moments that define our special connection, our mother-son bond.
With tender care, he lifts a tiny frog, placing it on a lily pad in the pond.
“Mom, tell me, has his view transformed?”
He’s a marvel, a whirlwind of curiosity, dissecting the mundane for its hidden depths. Sometimes, his questions ruffle my feathers, leaving me scrambling for answers. He has a way of keeping me on my toes.
I glance at the contemplative creature, a picture of simplicity, gazing skyward. I had to come up with something clever after all; how else can I justify birthing a genius?
“Indeed, it has,” I concurred.
“Now, surely, he possesses a unique lens on the world. Our surroundings undeniably influence how we perceive life. Our interactions, our abode, and our trials all mold our worldview. The lily pad is a metaphor for life’s fragility. Like the lily pad, life’s course can change with the slightest touch. Yet he can hop from one pad to another, unfazed.”
Satisfied with my explanation, I turned to him, my eyes seeking affirmation. He nodded, but then he always had another layer to peel.
Mom, what about...What's it like to be a tiny creature in a vast world? To have a 360-degree panorama of life? What’s it like to just hop with sheer glee? To be the butt of jokes of others and embrace it. To be poked, unprovoked. To yearn for legs that stretch. To just gaze at the sky, dream, and aspire.
“Yes, perhaps... perhaps that too." I stumble for words. My wits are momentarily lost. Leaving me in awe of the wisdom that flows from his tender heart
“Perspective, Mom, it hinges on whether you’re on the inside or out,” he responds with a knowing smile.
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