友 谊 的 颜 色

友 谊 的 颜 色
Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel.
All claimed that they were the best.
The most important.
The most useful.
The favorite.
Green said:
　　"Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority." 　
　　Blue interrupted:
　　"You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing." 　
　　Yellow chuckled:
　　"You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun." 　
　　Orange started next to blow her trumpet:
　　"I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you." 　
Red could stand it no longer he shouted out:
　　"I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood - life's blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy." 　
　　Purple rose up to his full height:
　　He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey." 　
　　Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination:
　　"Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace." 　　
　　And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.
　 In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak:
　　"You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me." 　
　 Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.
　　The rain continued:
　　"From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow." And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a Rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another. 　
One Dollars Worth
The United States One Dollar Bill.
Take out a one dollar bill, and look at it.
The one dollar bill you''re looking at first came off the presses
in 1957 in its present design.
This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend
with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it.
It is actually material.
We''ve all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend
of ink is used, the contents we will never know.
It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make
it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.
If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the United
States Treasury Seal.
On the top, you will see the scales for a balanced budget.
In the center you have a carpenter''s square, a tool used for an
even cut. Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury.
That''s all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of
that dollar bill is something we should all know.
If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles.
Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the United
States. The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin
Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them
four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get
it approved.
If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid.
Notice the face is lighted and the western side is dark.
This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore
the West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization.
The Pyramid is un-capped, again signifying that we were not even
close to being finished. Inside the capstone, you have the all-
seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity. It was Franklin''s
belief that one man couldn''t do it alone, but a group of men,
with the help of God, could do anything. "In God We Trust" is on
this currency, but that phrase was added in the 1950s during the
Red Scare.
Prior to that, none of our paper currency had that phrase.
The Latin above the pyramid, Annuit Coeptis, means, "God has
favored our undertaking."
The Latin below the pyramid, Novus Ordo Seclorum, means, "a new
order has begun."
At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776.
If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully,
you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the
United States.
It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell,
Florida National Cemetery and is the centerpiece of most heroes''
monuments. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President
of the United States, and it is always visible whenever he
speaks, yet very few people know what the symbols mean.
The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two
reasons:
First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is
smart enough to soar above it.
Second, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the
King of England.
Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now
stand on its own.
At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying
congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one
nation.
In the Eagle''s beak you will read, "E Pluribus Unum", meaning,
"one nation from many people."
Above the Eagle, you have thirteen stars, representing the
thirteen original colonies and any clouds of misunderstanding
rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one.
Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive
branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never
be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to
face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward
the arrows.
They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is
almost a worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room
numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor.
But think about this:
13 original colonies,
13 signers of the Declaration of Independence,
13 stripes on our flag,
13 steps on the Pyramid,
13 letters in the Latin above,
13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum",
13 stars above the Eagle,
13 bars on that shield,
13 leaves on the olive branch,
13 fruits,
and if you look closely, 13 arrows.
And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment.
I always ask people, "Why don''t you know this?"
Your children don''t know this, and their history teachers don''t
know this.
Too many veterans have given up too much to ever let the meaning
fade. Many veterans remember coming home to an America that
didn''t care. Too many veterans never came home at all.
Share this page with everyone, so they can learn what is on the
back of the UNITED STATES ONE DOLLAR BILL and what it stands
for. Otherwise, they will probably never know...