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 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 and in which lightning played. Down
the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look
peaceful at all.
But when the king looked closely, 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 in 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
