GREEN said: "Clearly I am the most
important. I am the sign of life and of hope.
I was chosen for grass, leaves, trees--without
me, all animals would die. Look out 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 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 to
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 temper.
"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, mangos, and pawpaws.
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! Lifes blood! I am the color of
danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight
for a cause. I bring fire to the blood! I am
the color of passion and of love, the red rose,
the poppy and the poinsettia. Without me,
the earth would be as empty as the moon!"

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 a 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 all the colors went on boasting and
quarreling, each convinced of their own
superiority. Soon, 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 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 colors 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.

~*~

Author Unknown
~~~Based on a Native American Legend~~~