I guess I missed this when you first posted it. It’s probably projection, but this very much reminded me of feelings I struggled with during a time in my life where I was being heavily bullied. Hope you’re doin okay, comrade.

once there a small frog was born, it didn’t make ribbit noises, it stayed silent and never jumped around other frogs, the frog was afraid for its life, one time the frog saw another frog eating an insect that jumped, the frog was told its fear was irrational that the frog is a frog not an insect, but the frog did think what would happen if an insect was too big the other frogs couldn’t eat it at the ground because its feet would hold it. One day the little frog found a friend, a wise frog, somehow the little frog was befriended by a frog respected by other frogs, told it “I know what you are, you belittle yourself, you’re another frog, I was like you I know you can do it like the other frogs” the little frog under the pressure of respect by other frogs trusted the wise one and asked it “but how did you overcome it” it told it to follow it. The river was their destination and the wise frog said “you’re a frog, you’re a swimmer, you can reach the other side of this river” they approached the shore together, at that moment the little frog looked at the river, “although although we’re different sizes and colors in the reflection of the stream both are frogs”, at that moment all doubt left the little frog, it told itself “I’m a frog, I see what I never saw before and I will jump and cross this river” the entire frog community cheered it before it jumped and cheered even harder when they tricked that insect into believing it was nothing more than that day’s lunch.