The Essence Of Difference.

[Guest pathmender]

The Essence of Difference

There once was a land that contained a scattered population of beings. Each group was divided according to the essence of their hearts and made no exception to their convictions.

The orange beings did not like the green, and the green beings did not like the purple. The purple beings did not like the teal, and the teal beings did not like the orange. Yet when these groups were weary and weakened from their battles of their opposing groups, they made subdivisions among themselves. The orange thought they were better than the tangerine or the pumpkin, while the green outranked the olive and the mint. The purple ruled over the lilac and the violet. And the teal had no use for but to ridicule the aquamarine and the viridian. Still, they were not satisfied that they continued to divide. The weak and strong, the fat and the thin, the educated and the uneducated, the sick and the healthy, and all the divisions they could imagine. Finally, when no more divisions could be found, they each went to a far place from the others and stayed there alone, for they so divided themselves till there were not one in agreement with another.

Many years had past and the beings continued their hate for the other. Then it was so that a beautiful stone fell upon the center of this land. This stone was clear and strong and flawless, and when the sun shone down upon it, it beamed radiantly all the colors of a prism. The beings, drawn from their far corners, gathered themselves around this wonderful stone. Mesmerized by its reflections, they were given a communication that none heard but all had understood. With that understanding they were given to see that this single stone contained all the aspects of each being; save their flaws, and taught them that acceptance of all beings was possible. The stone taught about peace and the beauty of love and mercy and forgiveness. Tolerance and understanding and patience was demonstrated and the beings learned well. Though only for a season the stone remained upon that land, it conveyed it would return to the beings and dwell with them forever after, so that they may continue to enjoy all the wonders they had been given unto the end of time. The beings rejoiced and lived as they were taught for a good number of years, till it came that the lessons that were given them were now in question, and they used those lessons to divide themselves again.

When the stone returned to the land it seen what became of the beings and mourned. For the beings had destroyed some of them, and others perished in their loneliness and grief. Their differences were lost and so the stone could no longer reflect that which no longer existed. In their division, the beings that remained surrendered to the passing of time till all existed no more, and the stone left the empty land in search of another to dwell in.

Rev. Campbell.

Edited June 4, 2008 by pathmender

[KevinM.]

what? who are the beings

[Guest pathmender]

Dear Kevinm,

I'm not sure what your confused about, but the story is about the actions of a group rather than the focus on the beings themselves. I chose to describe them in a way that would not focus on a particular group so no one could take offense and feel that I was picking on them. This is also why I chose colors instead of characteristics or familiar groups of people, so the focus of the story would be maintained on the actions of these "beings" and the consequences of that choice. In short, it matters little who the beings are but rather the moral of the story.

I hope this helped to clarify this for you. If not, let me know and I will try to explain further.

God's blessings.

Rev. Campbell.