Hans Christian Andersen, the beloved Danish author, wrote a children’s story called “The Snail and the Rose.” As I remember it, the story is as follows:
There was a beautiful rose garden, and surrounding it was a beautiful green pasture. Under the blue skies and fluffy white clouds, cows and sheep sported happily.
The roses were full of joy and turned their faces to the glorious sun.
But beneath the flourishing rose bushes was a snail. With his big house on his back, he was always saying: “I don’t care what happens to anyone else! I have everything I need.”
He was always closed up in his beloved house; on the rare occasions that he peeked his head out, he was full of arrogance and spite.
Creeping along the damp ground he looked up at the roses: “You never learn, do you? All you do is bloom! You do the same thing year after year. I am going to do something greater than you roses that bloom, greater than the sheep and cows who give fleece and milk.”
Ridiculing the roses, he puffed himself up with pride and declared that he was superior to all others. Even though they were openly ridiculed, the roses were not angry.
“We certainly hope you will achieve something great. When, though, might we expect to see your achievement?” they asked in reply.
Though the snail was quick to brag, they wanted to know exactly what he was going to accomplish, and when.
The snail grumbled that the foolish roses would not understand his great plan anyway as he withdrew into the magnificent house he was so proud of.
In most cases, the bigger a person talks, the more of a coward he is. When things don’t work out as he has planned, he’s suddenly silent and disappears from the scene
The flowering season came around again. The roses lifted their heads into the blue skies and took their pleasure in the soft light and gentle
Then the snail appeared again. He addressed them from below, in his slimy voice: “Old lady roses! My, how you’ve aged! Why is it that you spend so much of your energy blooming for the world? What do you get in return?”
He couldn’t say anything nice. There are people like snails.
The roses answered, lightly chiding him: “We may not be smart, but we are happy, and we enjoy our lives to the fullest. The sun is gentle and warm, the air is sweet, and the rain so pleasant.
“We are happy. Gazing at the broad green pastures, we bloom because we are happy! When we take a deep breath, the riches of the earth rise up in us and nourish us. Nourishment falls down on us from the skies. We are happy, joyful, and so we sing!”
The arrogant snail was envious of the roses. He was always so spiteful because he actually resented the roses.
- )But the roses asked him cheerfully and kindly: “Since you, snail, are so important, aren’t you far happier than we?
- What have you, in all your greatness, given to the world?
(3) What do you have for others?”
When asked this, all the snail could do was repeat his customary: “I don’t care about the world! I can do whatever I want, on my own!” And once again the snail shut himself up in his shell and sealed the door. The roses looked down on him with pity.
“How sad! We could never close ourselves up in a shell. We always want to be outside, blooming!
“And we want to do something for others in the world! That is what happiness is!”
The roses continued to bloom happily, and the snail continued to complain about the world, locked away inside his little shell.
This is the end of Andersen’s story. He seems to be quietly asking which way of life is better.
The snail appeared to scorn the world, but was really scorned by the world. He expressed his own unhappiness in the form of complaints and criticisms, and as he grumbled and griped he only grew more and more unhappy.
Compared to him, how much more beautiful, how much happier were the roses, who bloomed gloriously under the sun with the green pastures, determined to bring happiness to others.
There are always arrogant snails, snails who envy others happiness, in the world. We needn’t pay any attention to what pitiful people like that say. Just look down on them with calm dignity. Lift your face to the hope-filled light of the sun, and live your life with pride and joy.
I have dedicated my life to peace for the sake of others through music, and for the sake of society. My deeds enabled me to enjoy myself in a garden of happiness overflowing with gloriously blooming and wonderfully scented flowers of benefits. No life can be nobler, more fulfilled, and more glorious than this.
I was born on February 11, 1981. Birthplace: Atlanta. I am a singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality.
I rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny’s Child, one of the world’s best-selling girl groups of all time. During our hiatus, I released my debut solo album Simply Deep (2002), which sold 2.5 million copies worldwide and included the number-one single “Dilemma” with Nelly, as well as the UK top-ten singles “Stole” and “Can’t Nobody.”
I also ventured into acting, with guest appearances in television shows and starring roles in successful films, Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and The Seat Filler (2005).
Following the disbandment of Destiny’s Child in 2006, i released my second album Ms. Kelly (2007), which produced the international hits “Like This” and “Work”. In 2009, I hosted the first season of The Fashion Show, and was featured on David Guetta’s number-one dance hit “When Love Takes Over.
The song’s global success influenced me to explore dance music on my third album; Here I Am” (2011), which spawned the international top-ten hit “Commander” and the US R&B/Hip-Hop number-one “Motivation.”
In 2011, I returned to television as a judge on the eighth season of The X Factor UK, and in 2013, became a judge on the third and final season of The X Factor USA. Following the release of my fourth album Talk a Good Game (2013), I married my manager, Tim Weatherspoon, and gave birth to our son, Titan Jewell Weatherspoon, in 2014.
Since then, I have continued my television career by hosting Chasing Destiny in 2016 and starring as a coach on The Voice Australia since 2017.
Throughout my career, I have sold over 30 million records as a solo artist, and a further 60 million records with Destiny’s Child. My work has earned me several awards and nominations, including four Grammy Awards, one Billboard Music Awards, and two Soul Train Music Awards.
I have also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as part of Destiny’s Child, and as a solo artist I have been honoured by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Essence for her contributions to music. In 2014, Fuse ranked me in their “100 Most Award-Winning Artists” list at number 20.
America is the home of peace. I would like all my fans to send the light of peace, liberating humanity from tragedy and misfortune, from here in America out to the entire world.
Let me end today’s story with my sincerest wishes for your great happiness, long life and glorious life stories.
