‘The Tortoise and the Hare’ – Do you remember that great story – possibly from your childhood? The slow, plodding tortoise racing against the speedy hare or rabbit? From the outset we all know that the tortoise has barely a chance of winning. Yet, for some reason, we all cheer for him anyway. Why is that? What is it in our nature and in our being that makes us feel that cheering for the tortoise is simply the right thing to do?
One of the elements must be our empathy. We relate to the plight of the tortoise – fighting against the odds. We all do have a soft spot somewhere in our hearts for the underdog? On a slightly different tack, I think we also admire the tortoise’s work ethic – consistently plodding forward step after step – despite the obvious challenge. Which speaks to a certain perseverance – another quality we admire. Where of course, there wouldn’t be perseverance if there were no faith. We resonate with the tortoise in his ’belief.’ He believes in himself, in his cause – he perseveres and has faith in the outcome.
These are some of the threads – but curiously, why do ‘you’ cheer for the tortoise? To figure this out, let’s go back to the story you first heard as a child, The Tortoise and The Hare. It’s a fable almost as old as time itself, originally authored by the ancient Greek storyteller Aesop. It’s been retold and adapted throughout history, with good reason too as the moral of the story has some important lessons that to this day have incredible relevance. In case you need a refresher, the story goes a little something like this. One day, a quick moving hare arrogantly made the claim that he was the fastest creature around, while also making fun of a tortoise for how slow he moved. Fed up with the constant ridicule, the tortoise challenged the hare to a race, to which the hare confidently agreed. As the race begins, the hare jumps out to a significant lead, so much so that he decides to take a nap. Meanwhile, the tortoise and challenger, continues to move at his slow, yet steady pace. Eventually he passes the sleeping hare and crosses the finish line as the winner.
Traditionally, the moral of the story has been “slow and steady wins the race.” How that can be applied to our own lives varies depending on who you talk to. The truth is, we all move at different speeds and have different strengths, which leads us to look for lessons in fables such as the tortoise and the hare in different ways. When we look at the story through a Sunshine Initiative lens, we find it relates to many of our previous Sunshine Reports. Specifically, we explain that if you believe strongly enough in an outcome, then apply yourself – taking enthusiastic action – then anything is possible.
When we analyze this story, we typically tend to look at the mistake and arrogance of the rabbit while hardly ever recognizing the determination and perseverance of the tortoise. And so, while “Slow and Steady” may be what we believe is the moral of the story at first glance, when we go just a little deeper, there’s even more to take away.
While the hare behaved arrogantly and impulsively, the tortoise was methodical, maintaining a pace that was sustainable for himself and acutely focused on his goal of winning the race. His actions were goal-oriented and long-term, the opposite of the hare, with the result speaking for itself. The moral being this: when we work towards our goals at a pace, we know is best suited for us, even in the face of challenges including others who put us down or don't believe in us, we can still achieve the outcomes we aspire to. When we act on principle rather than impulse, we’re more likely to reach our goals.
Sometimes, it's the simplest stories that hold the most important lessons. So, this fable most of us probably first heard as a bedtime story, or in an elementary room classroom has applications well into our adult years. It speaks to the universality of life’s experiences and that if we create space in our lives and take the time to sit with lessons we’ve been taught, even the simplest ones, there are immense benefits to be gained. So regardless of whether you find more of a connection with the hare, or with the tortoise, there’s a positive lesson to be found, it's just waiting for you to act on it.
