Once upon a time, there was a donkey...

He spent his whole life envying horses.
On the great farms of America, they were treated like royalty — well-fed, admired, praised for their grace.
Meanwhile, he worked without rest, carrying sacks, stepping through mud, sleeping on a cold floor.
And every night, as he lay there exhausted, he’d watch the horses resting on clean straw and think:
"If only I were like them… my life would be better."

One day, he made a decision:
"I won’t be a donkey anymore."

He stopped carrying loads, walked with elegance, tried to neigh instead of bray, avoided the dirt, stayed clean.
He thought: if I want to be treated like a horse, I must act like one.

The horses only laughed.
— Look at him... he thinks he’s one of us? He’s still just a donkey.

But the donkey kept going.
He was sure his owner would notice the change.
And he did —
Just not the way the donkey had hoped.

The farmer stopped calling him.
Stopped feeding him.
Ignored him.
For the first time in his life, the donkey had no tasks.

"I’ve made it!" he thought.
"I’m like the horses now!"

But as days passed, hunger crept in.
His legs grew weak.
No one brought hay.
He approached the horses, hoping they’d share.

They looked him over and said,
— This food is for horses. You’re not one of us.

He turned back to his old pen.
Another donkey had taken his place.
He tried to work again… but he had no strength.

Now he was no longer a donkey. But he was never truly a horse. He was... no one.

Then the farmer came, rope in hand.
— I don’t feed animals that don’t work, he said coldly.

The donkey tried to run, but he was too weak.
He looked to the horses — desperate, pleading.
But they just watched in silence.
No one moved.
No one helped.

As the rope tightened and he was led away, he screamed:
— I want to be a donkey again! I want to work! I want my life back!

But it was too late.

In life, we often envy what others have, blind to the quiet worth of our own path.
Some people give up who they are, hoping to become something they’ll never be — and lose everything in the process.

Never trade your essence for acceptance.
The world moves on… but don’t let it move on without you.