Colors
Once upon a time the colors of
the world started to quarrel.
All claimed that they were the
best.
The most important.
The most useful.
The favorite.
Green said:
"Clearly I am the most important.
I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen
for grass, trees and leaves.
Without me, all animals would die. Look over the
countryside and you will see that
I am in the majority."
Blue interrupted:
"You only think about the earth,
but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water
that is the basis of life and
drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky
gives space and peace and
serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing."
Yellow chuckled:
"You are all so serious. I bring
laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The
sun is yellow, the moon is yellow,
the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a
sunflower, the whole world starts
to smile. Without me there would be no fun."
Orange started next to blow her
trumpet:
"I am the color of health and
strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I
serve the needs of human life. I
carry the most important vitamins. Think of
carrots, pumpkins, oranges,
mangoes, and papayas. I don't hang around all the
time, but when I fill the sky at
sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no
one gives another thought to any
of you."
Red could stand it no longer he
shouted out:
"I am the ruler of all of you. I
am blood - life's blood! I am the color of danger and
of bravery. I am willing to fight
for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me,
the earth would be as empty as the
moon. I am the color of passion and of love,
the red rose, the poinsettia and
the poppy."
Purple rose up to his full
height:
He was very tall and spoke with
great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power.
Kings, chiefs, and bishops have
always chosen me for I am the sign of authority
and wisdom. People do not question
me! They listen and obey."
Finally Indigo spoke, much more
quietly than all the others, but with just as much
determination: "Think of me. I am
the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but
without me you all become
superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight
and deep water. You need me for
balance and contrast, for prayer and inner
peace."
And so the colors went on
boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority.
Their quarreling became louder and
louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of
bright lightening thunder rolled
and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly.
The colors crouched down in fear,
drawing close to one another for comfort.
In the midst of the clamor,
rain began to speak:
"You foolish colors, fighting
amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest.
Don't you know that you were each
made for a special purpose, unique and
different? Join hands with one
another and come to me."
Doing as they were told, the
colors united and joined hands.
The rain continued:
"From now on, when it rains, each
of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow
of color as a reminder that you
can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope
for tomorrow." And so, whenever a
good rain washes the world, and a Rainbow
appears in the sky, let us
remember to appreciate one another.
