The Cock and the Jewel

A proud Cock, scratching in a farmyard, discovered a beautiful Jewel gleaming in the dirt. He stopped and examined the precious stone, noting its radiance and its obvious value. "What is this?" he marveled. "This object is clearly of great worth and beauty. Yet what use is it to me? I am a cock, a simple bird who scratches the ground for grain and lives among the barnyard. This jewel would be valued only by humans, who love such things. To me, it is worthless." He turned away from the jewel and continued scratching in the dirt, searching for a grain of barley, which he preferred far above all the precious jewels in the world. A Human, passing by, discovered the jewel and was overjoyed at the treasure. "See how much greater value this jewel possesses," said the Human, "than the barley grain that the cock so eagerly sought. Yet the cock, lacking the capacity to appreciate its true value, despised it. This is a lesson about the nature of shamefacedness—the awareness of our limitations and our inability to recognize or appreciate that which is beyond our capacity." Yet the Cock, hearing these words, felt no shame at all. For he understood that he was not meant to desire that which was not suited to his nature, and that his preference for barley over jewels was not a lack of discrimination, but a proper alignment of his desire with his nature and station. Still, other creatures hearing the Human's words began to wonder whether they, too, lacked appreciation for certain treasures and whether they should feel ashamed of their desires. The Cock, observing this, spoke: "Do not be ashamed of preferring that which is suited to your nature. It is shameful only to desire that which is beyond your capacity while neglecting the duties and purposes to which you are suited. The shame of the cock would be to neglect his duty to wake the farm at dawn while chasing after jewels. My contentment with barley, while performing my duties faithfully, is no source of shame." Thus did the Cock teach that shamefacedness should inspire us to awareness of our limitations, not to desiring that which is not suited to us.