The Frog

There was once a boy who felt above his little sister because she was clumsy and did not know how to do the things he knew. He was so jealous of the attention that she got that he always treated her nastily. He would tell everyone his little sister was just a poisonous spoiled little brat. His mother and father were sick of his behavior, so one day at supper time, when her son was extremely hungry, his mother took a poisonous frog, cooked it, and put it on a plate in front of him while everyone else sat down with their regular dinner. The boy thought it was a joke, but his mother told him to eat it. He refused, horrified his mother would think he should eat a poisonous frog.

"I'm not going to eat poison!" he exclaimed.

"Then don't call things that aren't poisonous poison," said his mother.

"What do you mean?"

"For years you have refused to play with your sister, eat with her, and love her. Whenever you talk about her, you talk about how poisonous she is. Tell me, son, what has your sister done to you that every day you would compare her to this frog in front of you that repulses you so much?"

The boy hung his head and said nothing.

His little sister piped up just then with a big smile, "I'm not a frog!"

Their mother continued, "That's right. Son, you won't eat the frog because you know it would hurt you to do so. But your little sister has blessed you with her friendship and made you into an older brother. You must learn to love and cherish her, because if you cannot, your life will be full of imaginary poison all around you, and you will starve yourself of friendship and community - which is what brings life to this world."

(For those wanting to better understand Peter's vision.)