The Jay and the Peacocks

A Jay, having found some feathers that a Peacock had shed, strapped them to his tail and strutted among the Peacocks, trying to pass himself off as one of them. He paraded and preened, turning this way and that to show off his borrowed plumage.

But the Peacocks soon saw through the disguise. They plucked off the borrowed feathers and drove the Jay away with sharp beaks and harsh cries. The Jay, humiliated, returned to his fellow Jays, who also rejected him for trying to be something he was not.

Better to be the best version of yourself than a poor imitation of someone else. False appearances always collapse under scrutiny.