A little canary was asked to join a Canary choir. She was hesitant. She felt that her voice wasn’t as good as those of the other canaries in the choir. But the Choir Leader insisted,” We need a few more canaries with different vocal characteristic for the Grand Championship. You’ll be an invaluable addition to the group.”
The little canary went home thinking of excuses to reject the Choir Leader’s invitation. Her grandfather told her to give it a try. “What’s stopping you, my child?” he asked her granddaughter. The little canary frowned,”My voice is too deep and too harsh for a canary, Grandpa. It is not the Choir quality voice.” The grandfather smiled,”Nonsense, little one. Let me tell you something…” The grandfather pointed out to the sea of flowers underneath their nest, “Do you see what I see?” The little canary nodded, “Flowers.” “Beautiful flowers. Colorful, aren’t they?” added her grandfather animatedly.
Then, the grandfather pointed out to the sky,” Remember rainbow? What makes it so special?” “The beautiful colors?” answered the little canary with a grin. “Yes, yes! The colors. The d i f f e r e n t colors,” shouted her grandfather.
“Now,” continued the grandfather, “Look at our feathers.” “What about it?” asked the little canary, examining her own. “Yours is not exactly the same as mine. That what makes each of us special.” The little canary shrugged,” What does it have to do with my choir?”
“E v e r y t h i n g,” answered her grandfather passionately. “Rainbow is beautiful because of its different colors. Everything was made with its own mark, and everything is part of something bigger. And without that special thing, the bigger part wouldn’t be that beautiful. Look at those flowers. Can you imagine how dull it would be, if all of the flowers have only one color?”
The little canary started to get the point. Her grandfather looked at her and said to her gently,” You have a special talent that will make your choir group unique. Each of you, the singing canaries, will bring different talent into the group. And believe me, my child, your group will sound better with everyone in it, singing with their each best talent.”
The little canary smiled. She joined the Choir the next day. Five months later, her Choir was named the first winner in the Grand Singing Competition. She was very excited.
“Grandpa, you were right. We wouldn’t have won if we only invite the canaries with the same vocal characteristics. But with the mix vocals, we had produced the most beautiful symphony ever.”
The grandfather patted his granddaughter’s back, “I am glad you understand it, little one.”
“But, grandpa,” the little canary sounding confused, “ If each of us –with our own uniqueness and talent- is part of something bigger and beautiful, then why do people down there fight over differences? Why do they fight to suppress others who are different from them? Don’t they know that they are all – combined - part of something beautiful, like that rainbow?”
The grandfather sadly shook his head,” Yes, that’s too bad. They fail to see what we’ve seen from up here. That the difference in skin color, race, religion, and cultures only make them rich and complete, and not the opposite. From up here, they are part of something big and beautiful. Too bad they spend their time looking at things from a much lower ground.” The grandfather continued, talking much to himself,” It feels to me that each color of the rainbow claims itself to be the most beautiful one and mocks the others which aren’t the same. If you are different, then you are bad. They are all beautiful individually. But together, they make a fantastic rainbow…”
The little canary nodded, “Should we give these people wings, Grandpa?” The grandfather laughed,” What for, dear?” “So that they can fly and look down. They’ll realize that the differences they are fighting against are tiny and meaningless. Because, Grandpa, only from up here they can see how beautiful they all are, together as one.”
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