A group of frogs was traveling through the woods when two of them fell into a deep pit. The other frogs gathered around and watched as the imprisoned frogs tried to jump out. Seeing the pit was very deep, the frogs above started yelling at the two to give up. "The pit is too deep. You're as good as dead," they chorused.
Despite the continued shouts of "Give up," the trapped frogs kept trying. Eventually, one exhausted frog took heed of the others' words, gave up, and died.
Amazingly, the second frog kept jumping as hard as she could, ignoring the calls to accept the inevitable. Finally, with one valiant leap, she escaped!
This happened because the second frog was deaf. She couldn't hear the discouragement and thought the others were cheering her on! This mistaken perception of encouragement inspired her to try harder and succeed against all odds.
With a positive mindset and by being deaf to others' negative opinions, the second frog used the criticism as fuel to overcome the obstacle. Unlike the first frog, who was influenced to give up, she reached her goal. The story teaches us that when we surmount others' criticism, ridicule, or cynical comments, we can achieve what we set our minds to. If we are not naturally "deaf" to such negativity, we need wisdom to guide us on the proper path and not be blindly swayed by worldly opinion.