There once was
a king who offered a prize to the artist who would
paint the best picture of peace. Many artists
tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but
there were only two he really liked and he had to
choose between them.
One picture was of a calm
lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains
were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white
clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect
picture of peace.
The other picture had
mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry
sky from which rain fell, in which lightening played. Down the side
of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look
peaceful at all.
But when the King looked, he
saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had
built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat
the mother bird on her nest ... perfect peace.
Which picture do you think won
the prize? The King chose the second picture.
Do you know why?
"Because," explained the King,
"peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise,
trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those
things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of
peace."
Author Unknown
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