The Ox and the Frog

A small Frog, dwelling in a muddy pool, observed a magnificent Ox drinking from the waters and was immediately filled with envy. The Ox was so large, so strong, and so impressive in appearance that the Frog felt diminished by comparison. "I will pray to the gods," resolved the Frog, "and I will beg them to make me as large and as mighty as this Ox. Then I shall receive the respect and admiration that surely comes from such magnificence." The Frog began to pray with great earnestness, calling out to the gods day and night. He puffed himself up, attempting through his own effort to increase his size, all while continuing his prayers and supplications. His family, observing his strange behavior, asked what he was doing. "I am praying to become as large as the Ox," explained the Frog. "And I am attempting to expand myself through my own effort as well." "Brother," said one of the older frogs, "your prayers and your efforts are foolish. You are a frog, and your nature is to be small. No prayer will change this, nor will any effort. The Ox is large because he was born an Ox. You are small because you were born a Frog. This is the order of nature, and it is not changed by prayer or by puffing yourself up." The young Frog, filled with frustration, continued his prayers nonetheless. He continued to puff himself up and expand his body, straining against the bonds of his natural form. For days he persisted, calling out to the gods and expanding himself with such force that at last, in a moment of terrible strain, his body burst asunder. The young Frog died, destroyed not by the gods' refusal to grant his prayer, but by his own foolish attempt to force himself beyond the limits of his nature. Thus did the young Frog learn, too late, that prayer must align with acceptance of the natural order. We may pray for wisdom and virtue, but to pray for that which violates our nature and our station is to pray for our own destruction.