I’m sure you know the story about the race between the rabbit and the turtle, where the cocky rabbit took a nap after confirming he was well ahead and woke up only to see the diligent turtle cross the finish line first and win the race. The moral of this story was that you should not be conceited in life.
A few years ago, I got to know about a different version of the story. I got that version from someone very special, someone who taught me how to love. I think it gives a more important lesson than the real story (or what we think is the real story). It goes as follows:
Once upon a time, there lived a rabbit and a turtle. The turtle did not know the fact, but the rabbit loved the turtle. It was the rabbit’s precious and pure love, which nobody else knew about.
One day, the rabbit saw the turtle and felt so much pain in its heart because of seeing the turtle self-reproaching itself for being too late very often. For being too late and slow in everything. The rabbit loved the turtle and wanted to give self-confidence to the turtle using whatever method possible.
“Hey dawdler turtle! Do you want to run a race with me? I bet you are no match for me, though. How about it?” asked the rabbit. “Rabbit, although I’m slow… I’ll do the race with you. I will show you that being fast is not always the best,” answered the turtle. And so the rabbit was happy the turtle accepted.
The race started. It was a race to the top of the hill. Ofcourse, the turtle couldn’t catch up with the rabbit. The rabbit got far ahead of the turtle, and as he was running he thought: “Would the turtle follow me? Wouldn’t he give up?” The rabbit only thought of the turtle while running. And not after long, the gap between them became too big, and so the rabbit decided to wait for the turtle. But the rabbit couldn’t just stand still and wait, so the rabbit decided to pretend to sleep on the road, and wished that the turtle would come and wake him up to continue the race. And then they would be able to run together to the top.
And what happened next? We all know what happened next. The turtle passed the rabbit, who was sleeping on the road, and won the race. But nobody knew… the tears of the rabbit who was lying on the road, pretending to be asleep…
After the race, the turtle became the symbol of diligence and sincerity. However, the rabbit was branded for its self conceit and overconfidence. But the rabbit swallowed the blame and insult. The rabbit wanted to see the turtle being happy, even like that…
Once upon a time, there lived a rabbit and a turtle. The turtle did not know the fact, but the rabbit loved the turtle. And that was the rabbit’s own sadness.
And the moral of the story, as she explained to me, is that we always tend to believe what we only see, hear or verify. But have you ever thought about the fact that sometimes, even if things are not seen, heard or verified, there can be a hidden truth… ?
i love the story ๐ it totally change the story that the rabbit was actually a kind rabbit who LOVE the RABBIT!!!.. and let him WIN:cry:
the Hare was so self confident because of his obvious advanteage of speed that nature had given him for his own good, especially in times of pinching vegetable from that farmers garden.
the turtle having the safety of a solid home over his back, need not hurry or worry, nature knows what it is doing.
When two things of opposite abilities come together to run the same race, unless something happens the one built for speed, will win. that is elementary dear watson.
In the story of the hare and the turtle having to race from the same point to the same point, the turtle only won…. because the hare had a sleep during the race, he was over confident in the future. (thinking he had it summed up).
As failed to see that if he took his speed for granted, by having a nap, he could lose the race. His sleep was deeper than he bargained on and while he was sleeping the turle passed him and won the race.
the meaning of the story to me is the end of something is not always as we think.
Sometimes the confidence and belief in own strength and ability, can bring about a smugness, this then becomes the weakness. And can be the difference between winning in life or losing in life. the fact the turtle won the race was only to tell us that fact. As if the hare had of run the race without the sleep, he would have won. The turtle would have come in second as he has only been built to take life slowly.
We may see this story in another light if we choose. But what this person has done to me, has shone the light on the over cockie hare making his unconsciouse sleep a consiouse sacrifice for the one he loved.
This making the loser the hero (even suffered as a martyr) if we choose to see this narriators version of the story in their light.
As for me I perfer the true orginal story, as in life people who should win lose, and people who should lose win. and that is the beauty of life (not taking it granted), without changing the story and needing to get sensual love out of story that has been told to wake people up. To their own weakness of thinking they are better than others.
This persons misguided partenering of a hare and a turtle , the children of this union would have been hard shelled over hopping offspring of a father who proclaims love through sacrifice and and a mother being the victor because of this. Not seeing that the turtle was the stonger competitor and refusing to see the hare as the weaker, has changed a good story and made it bad.
angiexoxo
hey
i like your turtle and the rabbit story, and the way your “special someone” changed the story into something else that may the real truth also.
*your special someone has to be a person you really love is it?*
wish you the best of luck