Ferdinand wants peace.

Every Christmas in Sweden, we watch the cartoon Ferdinand the Bull as a tradition. And every time I cry for him, and I almost cry writing about this story. Ferdinand was so innocent when smelling his flowers under the oak tree. It brings back a lot of memories.

Ferdinand the Bull is a sweet story about a bull who prefers to sit peacefully under a tree, smelling flowers, rather than fighting like the other bulls. When he was chosen for a bullfight because of his size, people expected him to be aggressive. But Ferdinand stays true to himself and refuses to fight, choosing peace over violence.

The beauty of Ferdinand's message is simple but powerful: you don't have to be violent to be strong, and it's okay to be different and follow your own path, even when others expect something else from you. It's a story of choosing gentleness over aggression, a narrative that resonates with many as a metaphor for how we might approach conflict, identity, and societal pressures.

However, in the real world, bulls in bullfights usually don't survive, which is sad. Ferdinand's story makes people feel compassion for him and makes us think about how animals are treated and why peace is so important. 

This contrast makes Ferdinand's tale both heartwarming and bittersweet, reminding us that the ideals of peace, compassion, and nonviolence must be pursued actively, even in a world that can be harsh, unfair and unforgiving.