There was once a little girl whose illness caused her to break out in pimples all over her face. When she got better, she came to class, bearing the scars from the acne. All the other students made fun of her in the class, which made the girl very upset. She hung her head and didn’t speak to anyone. Looking at this, a boy in her class declared that he was going to do a project. Curiously, everyone gathered around him. He took out a battered looking bottle and a new bottle and filled them both with drinking water. He placed them beside each other. He then took some sand and put it inside the new bottle. He asked everyone, “Which bottle do you want to drink water from?” to which everyone chorused “The old one, of course!”

The boy then asks “Why not the shiny new bottle?” to which one of them piques up “The bottle maybe new, but the water inside it cannot be consumed. The old one had the pure water.” Smiling, the boy said “Exactly. Just like the old bottle, our friend here looks a little messy outside. But her heart is beautiful and pure. All of you people who made fun of her may not bear ugly scars outside, but inside, you carry so much dirt.”

He then looked at the girl and told her “Don’t worry, you’re beautiful from within” and kissed her on her scarred cheek. The other students in the class apologized to her. When the teacher heard of this, she hugged the boy with tears in her eyes, marveling at his good judgment and the way he was brought up.

Learning:  Beauty is only skin deep. Everything superficial eventually disappears, leaving only the beauty of the heart to shine through.

This story is a real life incident shared by our colleague Suba priya whose son not only showed the nerve to stand up to his friends, but also let his inner wisdom come through.