A story is told of a king who went in his garden one morning, and found everything withering and dying.

He asked the oak that stood near the gate what the trouble was. He found it was sick of life and determined to die, because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine. The pine was disheartened because it could not bear grapes, like the vine. The vine was going to throw its life away because it could not stand erect and have as fine fruit as the peach tree. The geranium was fretting because it was not tall and fragrant like the lilac; and so on all through the garden.

Coming to a little daisy, he found its bright face lifted as cheery as ever. "Well, daisy, I'm glad, amidst all this discouragement, to find one brave little flower. You do not seem to be the least disheartened."

"No, I am not of much account, but I thought if you wanted an oak, or a pine, or a peach tree, or a lilac, you would have planted one. But I knew you wanted a daisy, so I am determined to be the best little daisy that I can."

In the Garden of the World, there is an endless variety of flora. A silent force determines the place and purpose of every single entity. Together, all elements conspire seamlessly to enable the Garden to thrive in brilliant colour and vibrancy.

Who we are and where we are in our lives is no accident. The Gardener makes no mistakes. Instead of wishing we were someone else we should be striving to be the best that we can be. Learn the great art of doing the best you can, with what you have, where you are. When you do this, you will either be content with how things are, or you will have the satisfaction of knowing you have made them better.

From our limited viewpoint, we imagine that there is joy and significance in being something greater, something more beautiful, something with more abilities and possessions. We often fail to understand that happiness does not come with becoming someone else. We can have all the joy we're capable of right now. Don't surrender your happiness to envy and discontentment.

Eugene Loh