The Color of Friendship

□ Author unknown

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， and 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 them a 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， 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抰 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 tome.\"

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.

友誼的顏色

□ 佚 名

很久以前，世界上的顏色開始爭吵：都聲稱他們是最出色的、最重要的、最有益的、最受喜愛的。

綠色說：

“顯然，我是最重要的。我是生活與希望的象征。我被青草、樹木、葉片所選擇——沒有我，所有的動(dòng)物都將死亡。看看鄉(xiāng)村，你們就會(huì)明白我占大多數(shù)?！?/p>

藍(lán)色打岔說：

“你們只考慮地面，然而仔細(xì)想想天空與海洋。作為生命的要素，水是從深海中被云朵向上牽引著的。而天空提供了生存空間，帶來了平靜與安謐。沒有了我，你們都將煙消云散?！?/p>

黃色低聲輕笑道：

“你們都如此嚴(yán)肅，是我把笑聲、快樂、溫暖帶進(jìn)了世界。太陽是黃色的，月亮是黃色的，星星是黃色的。每當(dāng)你們看向日葵時(shí)，整個(gè)世界都開始微笑。沒有了我，世界將沒有樂趣。”

橙紅色隨后開始自吹自擂：

“我是健康與力量的色彩。我也許稀少，但我是珍貴的，因?yàn)槲姨峁┝松谋匦?。我攜帶著最重要的維生素。想一想胡蘿卜、南瓜、柑橘、芒果和木瓜吧。我并不總是四處逗留，可是當(dāng)日出或日落，我彌漫在空中時(shí)，我的美麗是如此引人注目，以至沒有人多想你們中任何一種顏色?！?/p>

紅色再也受不了了。他喊叫道：

“我是你們所有顏色的統(tǒng)治者。我是血——生命的血！我是危險(xiǎn)與勇敢的色彩。我愿意為一個(gè)目標(biāo)而奮斗。我把火帶進(jìn)血中。沒有我，地球?qū)⑴c月亮一樣空洞。我是激情與愛、紅玫瑰、一品紅，以及罌粟的色彩?！?/p>

紫色昂首挺胸地站起來，他個(gè)頭很高，非常氣派地說：

“我是皇室與權(quán)力的色彩。由于我是權(quán)威與智慧的象征，因此國王、首領(lǐng)、主教總是選擇我。人們并不質(zhì)詢我——他們從來都是聽信并服從?！?/p>

最后，靛青色發(fā)言，比其他所有的顏色都輕柔得多：

“你們幾乎注意不到我，可是沒有我，你們都會(huì)變得膚淺。我代表思想與深思、黎明與困境。你們需要我均衡與對比，祈禱內(nèi)心的安寧?！?/p>

于是顏色們繼續(xù)自夸，每種顏色都堅(jiān)信自己的優(yōu)越性。他們的爭吵聲越來越高。突然，一道驚人的明亮的閃電劃破長空——雷聲隆隆，大雨開始嘩嘩地下個(gè)不停。顏色們都嚇得蹲了下來，靠在一起互相安慰。

在喧鬧中，雨開始講話：

“你們這些愚蠢的顏色，你們自己爭吵，每種顏色都試圖支配別的顏色。你們不知道你們每種顏色都是為了一個(gè)特殊的用途而被制造，是獨(dú)一無二且與眾不同嗎？互相拉起手，到我這里來。”顏色們按照雨說的，聯(lián)合起來并拉起手。雨繼續(xù)說：“從現(xiàn)在起，下雨時(shí)，你們每種顏色都將以一種美妙的弓形色彩伸展到天空的那邊，提醒你們要和平共處。彩虹是未來希望的象征?！?/p>

因此，每當(dāng)一場大雨清洗世界時(shí)，一道彩虹就在天空中出現(xiàn)，讓我們銘記要互相重視。