Anekta mein Ekta, Dharthi Mata ki Vishesta!

(Sr. Santana Pereira) “Man did not weave the web of life. He is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does it to himself!” Chief Seattle.

Read on … the story given below.  Destruction of others in Nature, leads to our own doom. Hence the need to protect and save every creature, because all have their own place and a role to play in the web of life. We depend on one another for our living as we are all interconnected and inter-related.

Long ago a cruel chieftain ruled a small village. He used violence and fear to force the people to do anything he demanded. Only a wise and elderly grandma was brave and powerful enough to speak the truth to the chieftain.

Near the village was a large marshy land. Every night the gentle croaking of frogs provided a calming backdrop for the people’s sleep. One night the chief had a bad dream. The anxiety that woke him up made him hear the frogs croaking as an annoying sound, not a relaxing one. He shouted to the frogs to be quiet, but they kept on singing and kept him awake for the rest of the night.

The next morning, the sleepy, angry chief called all people together. He told them to go the marsh and kill all the disobedient frogs. Out of fear and with deep regret, the people – all except the old grandma – ran to do as ordered.

 The woman told the chieftain, “Your demands are foolish. I’ll tell you what is true: All things are connected.” The chief was baffled. “You will see!” she said.

 That night, all was silent in the village. The chief was delighted and he slept soundly, but people were restless without the familiar sound of the frogs.

 A few days later, another sound was heard in the quiet night: Zzzz, zzzz, zzzz. Swarms of mosquitoes bit everyone in their sleep. It upset everyone and the chieftain’s anger flared up again. He ordered the small flies to leave him alone or he would have them killed too. But they just kept biting him.

 In the morning, the chieftain again called the people together and ordered them to the marsh to kill all the skeeters. But there were far too many of them. Without frogs to eat the larvae, the mosquito population grew quickly and soon they overwhelmed the whole area. The people and all the animals suffered from the bites of hungry mosquitoes.

 The villarers packed their belongings and moved  away from the mosquitoes and from the abusive ruler. As the chieftain sat all alone, he finally understood what the old grandma meant when she told him that all things are connected.

In God we are all ONE!