The Cockerel and the Jewel.

Once upon a time, in a farmyard, there lived a proud and boastful cockerel who loved to strut around showing off his beautiful feathers and crowing loudly to announce his presence. One day, while scratching around in the dirt, he came across a shiny jewel that had fallen from a traveler’s bag.
The cockerel was thrilled with his discovery and decided to show off his new treasure to the other animals in the farmyard. He proudly held the jewel in his beak and strutted around, basking in the admiration of his fellow animals.
However, one wise old hen spoke up and warned the cockerel that the jewel was not worth as much as he thought it was. She advised him to focus on things that were truly valuable, such as friendship, kindness, and respect.
But the cockerel was too proud to listen and continued to show off his jewel, even going so far as to challenge the other animals to a contest to see who could appreciate its value the most.
In the end, the cockerel’s pride and superficiality proved to be his downfall. He was so focused on the jewel and his own vanity that he failed to see the danger lurking in the shadows. A hungry fox had been watching the cockerel and his jewel, and when the opportunity arose, the fox pounced and snatched the jewel from the cockerel’s beak, leaving him with nothing but a bruised ego.
The other animals in the farmyard tried to console the cockerel, but he was too ashamed to show his face. He realized too late that the true value in life lies not in material possessions but in the things that cannot be taken away, such as love, respect, and friendship.
From that day on, the cockerel learned to appreciate the things that were truly valuable and to never judge something’s worth based solely on its appearance.

Moral

The moral or lesson of “The Cockerel and the Jewel” is that it is important to value what is truly valuable and to not be swayed by superficial appearances. The story teaches us that the cockerel, despite having a valuable jewel in his possession, was more concerned with his appearance and the admiration of others. This led him to neglect the true value of the jewel and ultimately lose it. The story warns us against the dangers of superficiality and encourages us to focus on what is truly important and valuable in life.

Origin of the Story: This story originated from Greece.