The Earth and Snow
It was the snow who spoke first in its gentle, but self righteous voice. "I have come to rid the world of all impurity. I am white and clean, and without prejudice. I cover all that I see, and leave only the beauty of the spring time when I depart."
The earth replied with a voice of considerate wisdom. "Though you are beautiful, and arrive with a graceful loveliness like no other, your importance is not as great as you believe. You are but a courier for the elements of change, and the blanket beneath which they work."
"How is it that you can believe such things?" asked the snow in its quiet voice, biting with cold. "Is it not the magic of my touch that brings new life to everything beneath?"The earth calmly replied. "There is no one factor responsible for the sprouting of any single blade of grass, save for the spirit and bravery of the blade itself. It is beneath your blanket seedlings gather their nourishment, and beyond it they put it to use, so that they may grow into their destined forms of beauty and magnificence."
After a period of silent consideration the snow asked in a disappointed tone. "Are you saying then, that I serve no purpose and am but a fraud? The purpose of my existence is no more than a deception to all, including myself?"
"No." Responded the earth. "Nothing has changed with the exception of your vanity. Having lost the conceit on which you thrived, you now feel a nakedness you interpret as weakness. Your not being of greater importance than the other elements in the cycle of life does not make you any less important than those same elements. Reflect not on your ranking within this cycle, but on your uniqueness. It is with the interaction of the unique components in life, understanding their own self worth, that there is harmony. It is by the arrogance and self-doubt of the individual that there is disruption."
It was with these last words of the earth that the conversation ended. "Know and love yourself as who you are, not who you wish you were."
