Who is Better?

The ox looks down on the elephant  

because it cannot plough.

 

The rabbit looks down on the tortoise  

because it moves so slowly.

 

People are often much the same.

When someone’s beliefs, ideas, 

or tastes differ from our own,  

we want to correct them.

 

When we see their family background,

education, or achievements,  

we feel we are not good enough.

 

There is often a measuring stick in the mind:  

big is better than small,  

tall is better than short,  

white is better than black,  

fast is better than slow.

 

To measure up,  

we scramble to fit in.  

When we come out ahead, we feel superior;  

when we fall behind, we feel inferior.

 

Which is more beautiful,  

a rose  

or a sunflower?

 

If a sunflower insists on

having the scent of a rose,  

even in full bloom,  

it feels something is missing.

 

As we slowly come to know ourselves,  

we no longer have to force ourselves  

to live like someone else.

 

The stars twinkle beautifully.  

The moon hangs quietly,  

lighting the road at night.

 

All things grow in their own way.

Being different

need not mean being better or worse.

 

One person types in an office.

Another sweeps fallen leaves

along the roadside.

Who is better?

 

A construction worker

complains that life is unfair,

believing he will spend his whole life

toiling in the mud.

 

Those days are indeed hard.  

And yet, standing in that same mud,  

he has helped raise  

one building after another.

 

Who looks down on whom?  

Who is better?