The Colors of Friendship

Aum Sairam

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 most beautiful. 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, and 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, to let us remember
to appreciate one another.

There can be hope only for a society which acts as one big family, not
as many separate ones.

Allah Malik