The Seed

Once upon a time, there was a seed and because it was only a seed, nobody cared to notice it. Thus, gripped by a sense of inferiority, the seed gave no importance to his existence.

Then one day, the wind picked him up ad threw him mercilessly on an open field under the sweltering sun. He was confused. Why would the wind do such a thing? But instead of getting an answer, he was provided with rain; sometimes in drizzles and sometimes in torrents.

Meanwhile time flew and years later he saw a traveller sitting by his side. "Thank you God for this. I really needed some rest," he heard the traveller say.

"What are you talking about?" The seed promptly asked. He thought the man was making fun of him. Sure, he had witnessed many people sitting by his side - more so in recent years - but no one ever spoke to him like that.

"Who is this?" The man was startled.

"This is me. The seed."

"The seed?" The man looked at the giant tree. "Are you kidding me? You are no seed. You are a tree. A very big tree indeed!"

"Really?"

"Yes! Why else do you think people come here?"

"What do they come here for anyway?"

"To be under your shade! Don't tell me you didn't know you had grown over time?"

A moment passed before the traveller's words struck the chord of realisation within him. The seed, now a majestic-looking tree, thought and smiled for the first time in his life. The years of relentless tortures by the sun and the rain finally made sense to him.

"Oh! That means I'm not a tiny-flimsy seed anymore! I wasn't destined to die unnoticed but was actually born to shelter people from the elements. Wow! Now that's a life worth a thousand gems!"

We are all born a seed but life’s ups and downs mould us into strong, hardy trees. Thus, instead of detesting our misfortunes, we should embrace them for the valuable lessons that follow – the lessons which provide us with the stamina for our journey from youth to maturity. Let's take pride in the seemingly insignificant role that each of us play in creating a better world.