Tortoise and Hare Story (New version!)

Presume all of us have heard the famous Aesop story of the tortoise and the hare. Let us start with the classical story and along with some newer versions…

That was a beautiful forest. There lived a hare, which was very fast in running. It always boasted about how fast it could run. It would call other animals for a race to prove that he really was the fastest animal in that forest. Tired of its repeated boasting, one tortoise had finally agreed for a race. All the animals in the forest had gathered to watch the race.

The race started. The hare sprinted very fast and was leading the race by a long distance in the initial minutes. The hare looked back and found the tortoise was very slow and was way back in the track. It had decided to take a nap under a tree, as it felt very tired. It also thought that the tortoise could never catch up with him as it was very slow. It had a nice and deep nap.

Unmindful of the actions of the hare, the tortoise was running slowly and steadily without any break. It soon overtook the hare, which was still in the nap and marched forward towards the finishing line. The hare woke up after some time, but could only realize that the slow and steady tortoise had already reached the finishing line.

The speedy hare had lost the race!

Moral:

Slow and steady wins the race.

How much ever competent you are, never relax in a race. Do not take any opponent lightly.

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The story continues:

The hare was disappointed at losing the race and did some soul searching. It had realized that the tortoise was taken lightly. It had concluded that it was over confident and lax. Had it not taken things for granted, the tortoise would have never won the race.

So, it called the tortoise for another round of race. This time, the hare had decided not to make any of the mistakes that it had done in the earlier race.

When the race started, the hare ran all out, without a stop. It took no rest and no nap this time. It ran steadily towards the finish line and won by several miles. The tortoise, as usual, ran slowly and steadily, but lost the race to the fast and consistent hare.

Moral:

Fast and consistent will always beat slow and steady.

It is good to be slow and steady. But, it is better to be fast and reliable.

It is OK to make mistakes, but realize the mistakes quickly and correct them.

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The story does not end here:

The tortoise did a soul searching this time. It realized that it could never beat the hare in the current format of the race. It had called the hare for a race again, but in a different route. The hare had also agreed. By the earlier success, the hare now had become more confident that it could beat the tortoise in any terrain.

The race stared. With the self-made commitment, the hare ran fast and consistent, without any break. It was leading the race by many miles until it stumbled upon a broad river. The finish line was a mile away from the other side of the river. The river was very deep and the hare could not cross it anyways.

The slow and steady tortoise reached the river after some time and swam through the river effortlessly. It reached the finish line, steadily moving forward.

The hare was beaten again!

Moral:

Even if you are slow, select your route carefully. Know your strengths and work according to your strengths.

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The story has not ended yet!

By the time, the hare and the tortoise have become pretty good friends. They realized the potential of each other and knew the earlier race could have been run better. They both have decided to go for another race, but had decided to do it as a team.

When the race stared, the hare carried the tortoise on its back until the riverbank. Then, the tortoise took over, carrying the hare on its back and swam through the river. On reaching the other side of the river, the hare again carried the tortoise on its back.

This time both the tortoise and the hare won the race together. They both felt a sense of satisfaction and pride than they had felt ever before.

Moral:

It is better to be individually talented but, if you work together with other talented people, you could achieve still higher.

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To sum up, here are the morals:

• 1. It is good to be slow and steady
• 2. It is better to be fast and consistent
• 3. It is OK to make mistakes, but realize the mistakes quickly and correct them.
• 4. When challenged in any situations, never give up. Instead look for alternatives
• 5. Always work towards your strength
• 6. Instead of competing against the individual, compete against the situation. Work with each other.
• 7. Together, everyone wins in a team.