The Problem of the Peacock, Part One
There is an old Buddhist tale of a proud peacock who attends a great gathering held by the king, so that his daughter could choose her husband. All the birds in the kingdom flock to the court, hoping to be chosen. The peacock, with his bright flowing tail feathers stood out the most in the crowd. The young princess proclaimed that the peacock was her choice for husband. Upon hearing this, the peacock was filled with so much pride that he began to strut around the crowd, making a big scene. Dancing crazily, and flailing about, he stumbled and made a great fool of himself when his (ahem) peacock parts became the laughing stock of the crowd. The king was so disappointed to see his daughter’s choice behave in such a foolish way, that he called off the match.
Just like the puffed up peacock, humanity is prancing around with flashing feathers, foolishly thinking they have gained some victory by looking a certain way or being chosen by a certain mate.
Why is it that we value outer attractiveness so very much, especially when finding a mate? People are persistently bombarded with messages of making themselves more attractive. One needs the right hair, the right-shaped eyebrows, the right tan, the right shade of white teeth, the right body, and so on. Everyone seems to be buying into this matrix. Why are humans satisfied with such a pathetic rubric? Why do people spend (or earn) thousands of dollars, and hours, trying to look a certain way in order to gain what they think is love? Why do people swim in self loathing and self hatred? Why is so much value based on appearance?
The answer is in the fact that humans have forgotten their own hearts. Just like the puffed up peacock, humanity is prancing around with flashing feathers, foolishly thinking they have gained some victory by looking a certain way or being chosen by a certain mate. Meanwhile, this illusion of value dissolves the moment one sees another person with more beautiful feathers, or the moment one’s mate seems to be anything but loving.
It is radical to love oneself in a world which is trying constantly to make us into something else.
True worth is found in the heart. The secret everyone has forgotten is that human beings are already whole, complete, and worthy, from the beginning. Nothing can diminish this human worth. If one could remember this, there would be much less pain and foolishness.
It is radical to love oneself in a world which is trying constantly to make us into something else. It is radical to love another from that place of inner worth as well. Instead of disliking ourselves because we do not adhere to some external standard of beauty, wealth, success, or acceptability, we could see ourselves for who we really are. To connect to the inherent qualities of ourselves or another being takes bravery, and requires being vulnerable.
