The Frog Prince and the Judgment We All Must Stop Making

Once upon a time, in a world of fairy tales, a young princess dropped her golden ball into a deep well. She was heartbroken. Along came a frog who offered to help, but only if she promised to be his friend and let him live with her. At first, the princess laughed. A frog? How could she possibly treat a frog like a companion, let alone as someone to eat with or sit beside? He was ugly, slimy, and strange. She judged him by how he looked and how he sounded.

But, as the story goes, the frog kept his promise and retrieved her ball. And slowly, something began to change. Through her father’s insistence or her own changing heart, the princess let the frog stay. She shared her table with him, listened to him, and finally, when she kissed him, he turned into a handsome prince. Not only handsome, but kind and loyal. She had misjudged him completely. They married and lived happily ever after.

This story has been told for generations, but I believe its message is more important now than ever.

Today, we are still making the same mistake the princess made. We look at someone’s skin color, their clothing, their accent, or their religion, and decide who they are without ever speaking to them or hearing their story. We see a man wearing a yarmulke or a woman in a hijab, and some of us jump to conclusions. We look at someone with darker skin or who speaks a different language, and we treat them like strangers or threats, instead of neighbors or friends.

The fairy tale is trying to teach us something very human and very wise. That what is on the outside often hides something beautiful on the inside. That people we might fear, dislike, or ignore may turn out to be wise, kind, brave, or loving. That judging others without knowing them is not just wrong. It robs us of the chance to grow and connect.

And sometimes, the person who seems most different may be the one who teaches us the most.

I have spent a lifetime working with people who were often misjudged. Some because of their appearance, others because of their past, or the pain they carried. When I took the time to really listen, I often found beauty, sorrow, courage, and the deep wish to be seen and loved.

Like the frog prince, there is more to every person than what we first see. But we must be willing to look again, and not turn away because we are afraid or uncomfortable.

This simple tale reminds us that transformation is possible. Not just of frogs into princes, but of people who choose to open their eyes and hearts.

Maybe that is the real magic in the story. The magic of learning not to judge, and discovering the goodness in one another instead.

And perhaps, like the princess, we can each find something unexpectedly wonderful when we stop judging and start listening.