There’s a story about a crow who lived happily in a wood until he heard a dove and thought how happy he would be if only he could sing like that. The dove, however, was miserable because it was envious of a robin’s bright red breast, against which the dove’s whiteness seemed insipid. The robin, meanwhile, was bemoaning the fact that its red breast was nothing compared to the gorgeous colours of the peacock in the zoo. All this left the crow thinking that he ought to visit that peacock, which he did, flying from the wood to the town zoo. He was amazed at the bird’s magnificent colours, but before he could say a word, the peacock looked at him and said: ‘Oh, I wish I was free to fly away to the wood like you.
It reminds us of how silly it is to make ourselves miserable by comparing ourselves with people who probably wish they were like us.