hidden image

The Flag, a Fruit of the Root...!

Robert Clements Robert Clements
18 Mar 2024

The house with a flag flying atop it looked with disdain at the neighbouring home with no flag on it. "No flag?" it asked.

"It's an invisible one I fly!" said the home with no flag. "The people within my house don't need a flag above expressing what they believe in, but believe it should be expressed through their lives!"

The flag on top of the house waved slightly unsteadily at the thought, even as the home that flew the flag asked roughly, "And what kind of lives should those that live within you reveal that manifests itself in the invisible flag atop you?"

The home with no flag smiled and whispered, "When those within show through their lives, qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, then their lives will be the invisible flag that flies above me! Because that flag is the fruit of the root!"

"Fruit of what root?" asked the building with the flag atop.

"The root on whom the flag's beliefs are based upon. And when the root is a divine one, then the fruits that it produces will also be heavenly for the people around to taste!"

"And those fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?" asked the house with the flag that had now stopped fluttering.

"Yes, indeed!" said the home with the invisible flag flying atop it. Those people walking outside can see those fruits in the lives of the people who live within me, and that is the invisible flag that flies above!"

The home with the flag atop stared hard at the flag flying above and asked, "Are you a fruit of the root you are rooted to?"

"Yes, of course," said the flag. That's what all flags are!"

"And do you have all the lovely qualities that the invisible flag on the adjoining building has?" asked the home, staring even harder at the flag on top.

"That question can only be answered by the lives of the people within you," said the flag, "Do our people show love to one another and to their neighbours? Is joy and happiness reflected on their faces? Is there deep peace within them or restlessness and unruliness? Are they patient and tolerant of those who follow a different path of faith, and do they show kindness even if they form a part of a majority? Are they faithful to the law and Constitution and gentle to even their enemies? And do they exercise self-control and restraint in their language and speeches, or are their words that of hate and anger?

It was not the lack of wind that caused all the flags put up over all the homes to droop, wondering if those who lived below had fruits that reflected a Divine root or not!

Recent Posts

Contrary to judicial relief, the Supreme Court has reaffirmed that Dalit Christians lose Scheduled Caste status upon conversion, sustaining a controversial 1950 order and deepening anxieties over equa
apicture John Dayal
30 Mar 2026
The recent verdict of the Supreme Court of India on whether Dalit Christians can claim Scheduled Caste status would have been less troubling had it merely erred in law. What makes it profoundly disqui
apicture A. J. Philip
30 Mar 2026
Justice delivery in India depends equally on the judiciary and the executive, yet systemic failures, such as case backlogs, overuse of stringent laws, and prolonged detentions, undermine liberty and f
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
30 Mar 2026
The Allahabad High Court's recent ruling in the case involving Rev. Father Vineet Vincent Pereira has sparked significant debate. The court refused to quash proceedings under Section 295A of the India
apicture Special Correspondent
30 Mar 2026
Commemorating Oscar Romero's martyrdom is recalling his fearless defence of the poor, his call to resist injustice, and his sacrifice. It challenges India today to confront oppression, uphold truth, a
apicture Cedric Prakash
30 Mar 2026
Withdrawing futile treatment is not euthanasia but an ethical, lawful act grounded in dignity and autonomy, supporting living wills and compassionate end-of-life care. Misleading words like "passive e
apicture J Charles Davis
30 Mar 2026
In the present context of growing ineffectiveness of the United Nations to curb international conflicts and its failure to provide international peace and security, and in the face of unilateralism of
apicture G Ramachandram
30 Mar 2026
Your tenth stage Is denial: The washing of hands In the blood of semantics.
apicture Dr Suryaraju Mattimalla
30 Mar 2026
The current budget for 2026-27 signals a renewed commitment to urban development, earmarking INR 1 billion (?1 lakh crore) for the 'Urban Challenge Fund' with the ambitious goal of transforming cities
apicture Fr. John Felix Raj & Prabhat Kumar Datta
30 Mar 2026
Perhaps what we need is a small board outside every office of authority. A simple reminder. "You are here temporarily. Please do not disturb permanent memories."
apicture Robert Clements
30 Mar 2026