Once upon a time, two flocks of waterfowl shared a lake. "Shared" might be too strong a term: the Swans lived peacefully at one end, while the Mallards fought among themselves at the other end. From time to time, a group of Mallards would attempt to intrude on the Swan end of the lake, and the Swans would unite and drive them back. They would not pursue them outside of the area they had claimed as their own, however, for this was not their way. They were peaceful Swans when permitted, but fierce in battle when threatened.

Now it happened that a young Swan was hatched, and he was not like the others in his flock. He looked across the lake at the Mallards, and he feared what he saw there: feared it greatly. Many times did he ask the Elder Swans, "Why do they fight so? Should we not do something?" And the Elders said, "It is their way. We do not interfere. We simply protect ourselves."

As he grew, the young Swan continued to watch, and when Mallards dared cross the center of the lake, he was ever in the forefront of the parties that went to drive them back. The Elder Swans grew concerned. "You have too much anger," they said. "Do not fight in anger. We fight only to protect ourselves. This anger will consume you if you do not let it go."

This troubled the young Swan greatly, and he tried to let go of his anger, but his anger would not let go of him. Eventually, this anger turned to hate: hate of the Mallards. Hate of the Elder Swans for refusing to end the Mallard Menace once and for all. Hate of himself for feeling this way.

Finally, he said to himself, "The Elder Swans are wrong! There can be no doubt about that! There are only two Ways: the Swans and the Mallards. So if the Swans are wrong, then the true way must lie with the Mallards! I have been a fool all these years! I am a Swan in body but a Mallard in heart! I will go to join them! No, more: I will go to rule them!"

And so the Swan, now full grown, crossed the lake and took up with the Mallards. Many feathers were left drifting upon the water before they acknowledged him as their master. He led mighty raids against the Swans, until finally, regretfully, the Elder Swans united to destroy him.


And the moral of the story is:

Fear leads to anger.
Anger leads to hate.
Hate leads to the Duck Side.