There is a story about a lion cub that got lost on the savannah. He forgot his origins and fell in with a herd of sheep. Soon he began acting like a sheep, eating grass and so on. Though his body grew into a powerful lion, in his mind he believed he was a sheep. Until one day he encountered a pride of lions. Like a sheep he felt very afraid. But the lions did not attack. Instead they expressed their puzzlement: “You are a lion. Why are you acting like a sheep?” The young lion did not understand and so he ran away in fear. He ran until he arrived on the shores of a great lake. And there he gazed at his reflection in the waters and finally realized his true nature.
This is a parable about the human condition. In reality we are like lions – beautiful, powerful, noble, glorious beings. But the world treats us like sheep and so we begin to act like sheep. And we begin to think that we are weak and afraid like sheep. We form low expectations of ourselves and we pass them on to each other. And we forget our true nature.
But through the creative power of awareness we can come to discover beauty and strength and nobility in ourselves and in each other. We can become our true selves.
Can you remember a moment in your life when someone had faith in you? That person’s simple act of faith in you allowed you to see yourself in a new light and to become the person you truly are. Can you do the same for others? Can you see the beauty hidden in another person’s life struggle?
If you can then you become like the pride of lions who inspire each other and help the young lion to discover his true self.
