Once Upon a time, there was a dolphin playing in the sea. She was shy, soft, decent, selfless, and peaceful. On a sunny, breezy day the sea was very calm.
Dolphin began to play in an impressive show by jumping up in the air and going down in the water. Her flexible motions caught up the attention of a proud and powerful lion. Once she had an eye contact with him, she was able to see what is behind his strong nature. She could feel a giant heart behind his powerful outside look. She got drawn to his warm, affectionate, confident nature, and his innocent laugh!
She did not understand her feelings in the beginning but later on, she realized that unintentionally and accidentally fell in love with him. She spent days and nights in thinking of him. He became the star of her dreams.
While steeping in her daydreaming, the sea suddenly got very angry. She started frolicking among the mighty and angry waves. She found herself surrounded by a bunch of wild sharks attacking her from all sides. She fought relentlessly and continuously until becoming terribly exhausted.
While the battle was taking place, the lion kept watching with a sympathetic and pitying look. Dolphin called him out for help. She called him over and over but received no answer. All he had done was drawing a line in the sand for her to not to cross. He eventually left to help another sufferer from his own kingdom.
At that moment, she realized that no one could help her but herself. The only option for her was to accept the challenge! After a long and cruel battle with the mighty waves and wild sharks, she eventually defeated them all and won the battle. The sea became calmer shortly and the sun rose up to start a shiny, bright new day!
Lion learned that the battle was over and The victory that Dolphin had made. He went back to the Seashore to check on her. She seemed exhausted and torn apart. Silently and sadly she looked into his eyes and wished to ask about the reason of refusing to save her but she could not talk…. She was deeply hurt!
To explain why he could not help her, he roared to gather other creatures from his own kingdom to tell a story. The story was about a poor child lived in a rich community. He needed help but his society refused to help him and walked away to keep up their privileges.
Dolphin understood the message behind the story. The lion wanted to let her know that he did not refuse to help her because of discrimination against her nature as a dolphin but because he did not like to lose his privileges. The lion rather to be appreciated for helping sufferers who belong to his own kingdom than helping her because she is different than him.
Dolphin realized that the lion prefers indirect messages over face to face confrontation. She went to the line that he drew in the sand and left him this message:
“Dear majesty, I wish I had the courage to tell you how special you are to me. Please do not ever feel depressed because you deserve to be happy. Always remain kind. Kindness is an essential part of your awesomeness! I am used to battle with angry waves and wild sharks but the battle with my heart is harder on me. My heart is not accepting the reality that I came from a different world than yours and the two worlds will never meet. This heart deserves to remain under my feet and shall return to where it belongs.
I was not really bothered when you helped another sufferer from your kingdom. I wish I was able to help too but I can't. As you know if I got out of the water I will become out of breath. I called out for your help but you chose to keep up your privileges and preferred to walk away.
No worries, my forgiving nature helps me to move on, so take it easy on your amazing self, your highness. You are the powerful king of the beasts on land but in water you are helpless. Your power on land will not save me from danger in the sea.
From now on, I will not seek anyone’s help! The wild nature made me tougher than I thought. If you are the king of the jungle, I am the ruler of the sea creatures. Whoever needs my help in the sea will never be turned down. I will never ever leave anyone suffer. I will never ever walk away”
The End!!
Dolphin
About the Creator
Tahany Azzab
CEO at Asia News, Author, Certified Trainer, Mother of Four Children
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Attempts To Understand Life
Article: Attempts to Understand Life By: Tahany Azzab There are many attempts to understand human nature in order to facilitate dealing with people and living together peacefully. Some tend to liken humans to flowers, believing that each person represents a flower with its own unique characteristics and fragrance, blooming at different times in life. This metaphor is profound, as it highlights the positive influence people might have on others and is marked by gentleness, kindness, and beauty, instilling a sense of joy and hope.
By Tahany Azzab18 days ago in Humans
I Never Chose the Easy Path; I Always Chose Hardship
From the earliest memories I can recall, life presented me with two roads. One was smooth, inviting, and well-trodden—a path that promised comfort, approval, and ease. The other was rough, rocky, and uncertain—a path of struggle, obstacles, and lessons that demanded effort, patience, and resilience. I never chose the smooth road. I never took shortcuts. Not because I was fearless, but because something deep inside refused to let me live a life that wasn’t earned. The easy path whispered promises of fleeting satisfaction, fleeting success, and fleeting recognition. It was tempting. Many around me chose it, and I often wondered if I was foolish for ignoring it. But I learned early that true growth is rarely convenient. The easiest choice often leads to emptiness, to regret, to a quiet knowing that you could have been more than you allowed yourself to be. Hardship became my teacher long before success ever noticed me. The lessons it offered were harsh, uncompromising, and often lonely. There were days when choosing the hard path felt like choosing isolation. While others were celebrated for small accomplishments, supported by friends and family, I walked in silence, with doubt as my companion. Progress was invisible to the world. Failures were frequent and relentless. Many nights, I returned home tired, my heart heavy, my mind questioning why I even bothered. Yet even in that silence, I was being shaped. I was learning the value of persistence, of dedication, and of refusing to give up on myself. The hard path forced honesty. It refused to allow excuses. It stripped away illusions and pretenses. I was left face-to-face with my limits, my fears, and my own humanity. On this path, I discovered strengths I never knew I had: patience I had never cultivated, resilience I had doubted, and self-respect that grew every time I stood up instead of walking away. These were not lessons that could be taught in comfort. They were only learned in struggle, in challenge, and in the quiet persistence of refusing to quit when no one was watching. I remember one time vividly. I had a goal that seemed impossible—one that required me to sacrifice comfort, leisure, and social approval. The easy path was right there: a way to avoid the challenge, to be “okay,” to follow what others had done before me. Many advised me to take it. “It’s safer,” they said. “It’s simpler,” they said. But I could feel, deep inside, that taking the easy way would leave me empty. I chose the hard path. The journey was grueling. Every step felt like pushing against gravity. But with each challenge, I gained more than I ever would have on the easy road. I gained endurance, confidence, and an understanding that real achievement is never handed—it is earned. Strength, I realized, isn’t loud. It doesn’t announce itself. It grows quietly, in the moments no one sees—the early mornings, the long nights, the repeated failures, the times you push forward when giving up would be understandable. Resilience is not simply surviving; it is deliberately choosing to continue, to stand again, to pursue the path that tests you the most. It is knowing that walking away is easier but will never lead to the person you are capable of becoming. I have walked many hard roads in life. Each one was different, yet the lessons were the same: comfort cannot teach endurance, shortcuts cannot teach discipline, and fleeting success cannot teach respect. Every struggle, no matter how small, adds to your character. Every failure is a mirror that shows you who you really are. And every choice to face hardship instead of fleeing builds a foundation that lasts long after temporary victories fade. There were times when I felt truly alone. People around me often misunderstood my choices. Friends, family, colleagues—they all questioned why I refused the easy way, why I worked harder, why I pushed myself beyond what seemed necessary. They didn’t see the growth happening quietly inside me. They didn’t see the small victories, the lessons learned, the resilience being forged. But eventually, the results spoke for themselves—not in a loud announcement, but in the quiet confidence and self-respect that I had built from the inside out. Life, I have learned, rewards those who endure hardship. Not always immediately. Not always visibly. But it rewards those who persist, who face struggle head-on, and who refuse to settle for anything less than becoming their fullest selves. Success that comes without effort is temporary; strength and self-respect are eternal. Hardship tests us, but it also teaches us. It shows us the depth of our own courage, the strength of our will, and the power of refusing to surrender. The lessons of the hard path are subtle, often invisible, and always lasting. I learned that failing is not shameful; failing is a necessary step toward mastery. I learned that enduring pain, even when no one notices, builds a type of strength that comfort never can. I learned that the more difficult the path, the deeper the reward—not measured in wealth or fame, but in character, wisdom, and self-respect. Every choice to embrace struggle instead of avoiding it shaped me. Every sacrifice, every extra hour, every moment of doubt faced instead of ignored, added to the foundation of the person I am today. My life was not easy. It was messy, unpredictable, and often overwhelming. But it was authentic. It was mine. And through hardship, I became resilient. I became someone who can face challenges without fear because I have faced them before. I became someone who respects themselves because I have honored my own effort. I became someone capable of growth because I refused to choose comfort over character. I often reflect on the people around me who chose the easy path. Many of them achieved quick victories, immediate recognition, and temporary peace. But over time, I noticed something important: the victories were shallow, the peace fleeting, and the growth minimal. They lacked the depth of resilience, the quiet power of self-respect, and the profound satisfaction that comes from knowing you endured, you learned, and you became someone stronger. Choosing hardship is not glamorous. It is not celebrated in real-time. It is often lonely, exhausting, and demanding. But it is transformative. It shapes your mind, your heart, and your spirit in ways comfort never can. It teaches discipline, patience, humility, and courage. It makes failure meaningful, effort valuable, and success earned. The hard path is where true people are made—people who understand that life’s challenges are not punishments, but opportunities. Opportunities to become better, stronger, wiser, and more capable. I never chose the easy path. I always chose the harder road, the one that tested me, the one that demanded effort, and the one that required me to face myself honestly. I walked through fear, doubt, exhaustion, and setbacks. I fell, and I got up. I failed, and I tried again. I cried, I questioned, I endured. And through it all, I became someone I could respect, someone who knew the value of persistence, someone who understood that hardship is not the enemy—it is the greatest teacher. Today, I measure success differently. I do not measure it by comfort, convenience, or ease. I measure it by growth, resilience, and the depth of self-respect I have cultivated. I measure it by how I faced challenges I could not ignore, how I embraced struggles that seemed unbearable, and how I refused to take shortcuts at the cost of my own becoming. I never chose the easy path. I chose the one that made me resilient. I chose the one that taught me self-respect. I chose the one that allowed me to become the person I am today. And if I had the choice again, I would choose the hard path every single time. Because the road of struggle is not only a journey—it is the making of a human being.writing...
By Ihtisham Ulhaqa day ago in Motivation
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