Unity In Diversity

Three cats lived in neighbouring houses. They were close friends and used to meet to discuss  matters of common interest. One of them was white in colour. Another one was black. The third was brown. One day the black cat argued that his colour was the best as he could hide in dim light and pounce on the prey without getting noticed. He added that the white colour of his friend was a terrible disadvantage in catching a prey in dim light.

The white cat retorted  that white was a superior colour as it was a combination of all colours and a symbol of purity. He added that black was the absence of any colour and a symbol of hell. When the argument became uncontrollable, the brown cat intervened. He said, "I will tell a story. Listen carefully and then decide which is the better colour." He narrated a novel story:

"Before the creation of cats, God made models of cats using clay. Then he put them one by one in the fire to strengthen and harden them before instilling life into them. When he introduced the first model in the furnace, he had no idea about the optimum time for hardening. He kept it for a long time and it got charred and over burnt. That was how the first 'black' cat was created. He learned a lesson but brought the black model to life. All black cats are his descendants. The next time, God was very cautious to avoid overheating. So he removed the model from the furnace a bit early to avoid overheating. The model was under burnt and white in colour. The white cats descended from him. Now God became proficient in the art and science of hardening the models. So the third experiment was successful and the model was removed after correct heating. It was perfect and had a beautiful brown colour. All brown cats, including me, are his descendants. We were heated and hardened correctly for the optimum time and temperature.  Now you know who is the result of a perfect creation."

The story amused the black and white cats though they knew that it was fictitious. They stopped their fight and became friends again, realizing that external appearance is insignificant and that nobody wins by an argument.

Man  has fought thoughtlessly, throughout human history, arguing about the superiority of one race over others. Men may differ in characteristics and qualities such as calibre, caste, character, charm, cognition, colour, community, complexion, costume, courage, creed, culture and customs. But he is the  roof and crown of creations and a noble work of God. We must appreciate unity in diversity and harmony in variety.

"God created man in His image; in the divine image He created him; male and female He created them" {Genesis 1: 27}.

© By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit my web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com 

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