I have had my own experience with zoology and I remember once seeing something that made a big impression on me.
It was a plucked peacock.
When you see a plucked peacock, which looks like an ugly, emaciated hen, you get so very disappointed because when you see the peacock in all it’s glory it’s clearly a glorious bird.
But, if you want to eat it or have more contact with it, then you find out what it is in truth.
So when I see peacock feathers, which are wonderful to look at, I’m always beginning to think about that plucked hen beneath those feathers.
–Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz