By Kate Lotah
There is no ‘better’ or ‘worse,’ only different. That difference has to be respected whether it’s skin color, way of life, or ideas. The Chumash have a story about this.
"It begins with a worm
who is eaten by a bird.
The bird is eaten by a cat
whose self-satisfaction is disrupted by a mean-looking dog.
After devouring the cat, the dog is killed by a grizzly bear
who congratulates himself for being the strongest of all. About that time comes a man who kills the bear
and climbs a mountain to proclaim his ultimate superiority.
He ran so hard up the mountain that he died at the top.
Before long the worm crawled out of his body.”
