
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
colors of God.
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
all the mirth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow
and the stars are yellow. When you look at a sunflower, even when
you*re sad, you smile. 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 bring fire into the blood!
I am willing to fight for a cause. I am the color of danger and
of bravery. 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 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."
So the colors
went on boasting, each convinced of his/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.
