Teardrops

Pride Be Damned

Hey guys. This is not a poem but just my thoughts. So feel free to comment and let me know how you felt about the full thing.
_______________________________________

"Daddy, I got an A+ in my maths test."
"That's great dear. Oh my god. My baby's growing up so fast."
"I know right, dad. I'm so proud of myself. What can I say!!"
The smile from my father's face falters a bit and he soon beckons me towards him.
"I need to tell you something dear."

"When you say I am proud, who or what do you remember?" After a brief thought I said,"Lion or a peacock." "Well dear, why do you remember a lion or a peacock and not maybe a mule or an ant?" " Because....they are not attractive. Their presence does not appeal to us." "Ok, but if you see it in this way, which animal is more useful, a lion or a mule?" "A mule, of course." "That's right dear. Similarly we humans too are like the lion and the mule. When we say we're proud, we stop working and trying to be better in whatever we have already accomplished. Just like a lion who feeds on the hardwork of a lioness, so also we stop working and take a back seat. But there are other people like an ant, who even after working for a day wake up with a new spirit of enthusiasm. People who are like the lions are like a seasonal stream in a desert. They flow for some time, but when it dries, it just leaves an empty way. But there are others like the ant, who are always flowing and enter into the river. These are the people who achieve bigger in life. When you I am proud, you stop working harder towards perfection. You remain stagnant. But when others rise, you realise it is too late because all the water has already dried, leaving an empty way.  When you say I am proud, you feel supreme and you slowly start shutting all the windows to your mind. You feel that no one's better than you and you stop being inspired by the heroes of the world. But if you are like the ant, you will struggle everyday, looking for good qualities of others and getting inspired by them to do something better. And it is only people like these who grow up to be an inspiration for others. So honey, it is up to you to decide if you want to be like the lion or the ant."