by Kyla Cristomo
March, 2006
People should always have time to think of each other. Everyone should appreciate having good friends to help them. This world would be a better place if everyone contributed something to the world and thought of others. Some people just think of themselves and of no one else. The story The Turtle and the Swans as retold by Robert Scott is about how self-centeredness and pride can blind us to what is really important, and it can hurt us in the long run.
In this story, the turtle lost sight of all the good things he had. The turtle was talking to his friends, the swans, about how he might reach the other lakes that have not been dried out. The turtle suggested that he should grip tightly to the neck of one of the swans. He was so focused on his own needs that he did not realize that gripping his friend's neck would harm his friend. He did not realize that he should have been more thoughtful of his friend. A lot of people today are like that. They only tnink of how they can get what they want. They manipulate and backstab around them. They become insensitive to other peoples' feelings.
Not only can being self-centered make you lose sight of more important things, it can also hurt you in the long run.
Once the turtle and the swans devised their escape plan, they got ready to go. The swans lightly held in their beaks the opposite ends of a stick while the turtle gripped in the middle. They passsed a first town, and the turtle heard some people praise him. He was very proud. Then, in a second town, some people praised the swans. This annoyed the turtle. He thought that they should be prsising him since it is not every day that a turtle flies. He opened his mouth to speak, but forgot that he was high up in the air. He fell. This act shows that the turtle had to say something when it was the swans' turn. It was as if attention was more impprtant than his life. There are a lot of people that want all of the attention. They would do anything to get it even if it is something that would hurt themselves or others.
Being self-centered is not a good characteristic for a person to have. It causes them to be insensitive of others' feelings and to forget about what good things they already have. It can also slowly hurt people. People should stop thnking of how they can get more for themselves and start thinking of what they can do for others. A life of generosity is better than a life of selfishness.