Once upon a time, in a peaceful Khmer pond, a beautiful lotus bloomed high above the muddy water. Every morning, she opened her petals proudly to greet the sun.

But one day, the lotus looked down at the dark mud and said with disgust,
“Ugh! You are filthy and ugly. I wish I didn’t grow from you.”

The mud sighed and replied gently,
“Without me, little lotus, you would never rise. My dirt gives you strength, and my water keeps you alive.”

The lotus didn’t listen and tried to stretch higher away from the mud. But soon, a dry wind came, and without the mud’s moisture, her stem weakened and she began to wilt.

The mud whispered softly,
“Even beauty needs humble roots.”

The lotus finally understood. She bowed her petals toward the mud and said,
“Thank you, my friend. Without you, I am nothing.”

From that day on, she stood proudly again — not because she was above the mud, but because she was connected to it.

👉 Moral of the story: Never forget where you came from — true beauty grows from humble beginnings.