THE THREE ANTS

Three ants met on the nose of a man who
was lying asleep in the sun. And after they
 had saluted one another, each according to
the custom of his tribe, they stood there
conversing.

The first ant said, "These hills and plains
are the most barren I have known. I have searched
whole day for a grain of some sort, and there is none
to be found."

Said the second ant, "I too have found nothing,
though I visited every nook and glade. This is I believe,
what my people call the soft, moving land where nothing
grows."

The the third ant raised his head and said, "My friends,
we are standing now on the nose of the Supreme Ant, the
mighty and infinite Ant, whose body is so great that we
cannot see it, whose shadow is so vast that we cannot trace
it; and He is omnipresent."

When the third ant spoke thus, the other ants looked at
each other and laughed.

At that moment the man moved and in his sleep raised
his hand and scratched his nose, and the three ants were
crushed.

                                                                    KAHLIL GIBRAN