Ancient One sat in the shade of his tree in front of his cave. Red 
People
 came to him and he said to Red People, "Tell me your vision."  And
Red 
People
 answered, "The elders have told us to pray in this manner, and that 
manner,
 and it is important that only we pray as we have been taught for this 
has
 been handed down to us by the elders."  "Hmmmm," said the Ancient
One.  
Then
 Black People came to him and he said to Black People, "Tell me your 
vision."
 And Black People answered, "Our mothers have said to go to this 
building and
 that building and pray in this manner and that manner. And our
fathers 
have
 said to bow in this manner and that manner when we pray. And it is 
important
 that we do only this when we pray."  "Hmmmm," said the Ancient One.  
Then
 Yellow People came to him and he said to Yellow People, "Tell me your
 vision."  And Yellow People answered, "Our teachers have told us to
sit 
in
 this manner and that manner and to say this thing and that thing when
we
 pray. And it is important that we do only this when we pray." 
"Hmmmm," 
said
 the Ancient One.  Then White People came to him and he said to White 
People,
 "Tell me your vision."  And White People answered, "Our Book has told 
us to
 pray in this way and that way and to do this thing and that thing,
and 
it is
 very important that we do this when we pray."  "Hmmmm," said the 
Ancient One.
  Then Ancient One spoke to the Earth and said, "Have you given the 
people a
 vision?" And the Earth said, "Yes, a special gift for each one, but
the
 people were so busy speaking and arguing about which way is right
they 
could
 not see the gift I gave each one of them." And the Ancient One asked 
same
 question of Water and Fire and Air and got the same answer. Then 
Ancient One
 asked Animal, and Bird, and Insect, and Tree, and Flower, and Sky,
and 
Moon,
 and Sun, and Stars, and all of the other Spirits and each told him
the 
same.
 Ancient One thought this was very sad. He called Red People, Black 
People,
 Yellow People, and White People to him and said to them. "The ways 
taught to
 you by your Elders, and your Mothers and Fathers, and Teachers, and 
Books are
 sacred. It is good that you respect those ways, for they are the ways 
of your
 ancestors. But the ancestors no longer walk on the Face of the Earth 
Mother.
 You have forgotten your own Vision. Your Vision is right for you but
no 
one
 else. Now each of you must pray for your own Visions, and be still 
enough to
 see them, so you can follow the way of the heart. It is a hard way.
It 
is a
 good way.

 ~unknown author~