From a 5-Minute Drawing to a Lesson I’ll Carry Forever

November 16, 2025

From a 5-Minute Drawing to a Lesson I’ll Carry Forever

The Ass and His Shadow Illustration By Jhamfong.Art

Today, I finished a sketch inspired by one of Aesop’s short but powerful classics, “The Ass and His Shadow.”

At first, the story feels simple, almost too simple.

A traveler, a donkey, and an argument about who gets to sit in the animal’s shadow.

But as I sketched the scene, I realized how deeply human the message is.

In the fable, the traveler and the driver argue so intensely about something so trivial that they fail to notice the most important thing: the donkey itself walks away.

Their stubbornness makes them lose the very thing they were fighting over.

While drawing, I kept thinking about moments in life when we, too, lose sight of what truly matters.

We get distracted by pride, small annoyances, misunderstandings, or petty disagreements.

We fight battles that don’t feed our soul.

We cling to the shadow and forget the substance.

Here are the lessons that stayed with me as I sketched:

1. Don’t fight over little things.

Life is too short to waste energy on things that don’t add value.

Not every battle deserves your strength.

2. Stay focused on the bigger picture.

Just like the donkey walking away, important opportunities can slip out of our hands when our attention is misplaced.

3. Pride can make us blind.

Sometimes the need to “be right” costs us peace, relationships, or progress.

4. Wisdom is knowing what matters.

It is choosing calm over chaos, clarity over ego, and meaning over distractions.

My favorite line from the fable’s lesson:

“In arguing over trivial things, we lose sight of what truly matters.”

This sketch became more than just a drawing. It turned into a reminder for myself. A reminder to stay grounded, to choose my battles wisely, and to never let shadows distract me from the things that truly hold weight in my life.

A 5-minute drawing… but a lesson I’ll carry forever.

Credits & Copyright

Sketch & Writing: Jhamfong Art

Inspired by: “The Ass and His Shadow” by Aesop

Date Created: 17/11/2025

Copyright Notice:

This blog post and original artwork are the intellectual property of Jhamfong. No part of this post or sketches may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without prior written permission.

Acknowledgment:

The story “The Ass and His Shadow” is a public domain work by Aesop. This blog is an original interpretation and reflection inspired by the fable.

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