We all know the story of the Tortoise and the Hare and that ultimately “slow and steady” won the race. Almost all of the attention given to the story is based in this idea that as we consistently work hard, we ultimately wind up winning in the end. However, many times we forget to see how much more the tortoise gained from the race than the hare.
Unlike the hare who was racing from point to point solely focusing on the next destination point and missing everything along the way, the tortoise was able to enjoy the journey along the way and gained far from the race than the hare ever could.
Even if the hare had won the race, the race still would have benefited the tortoise more in that the tortoise was able to find joy in the journey.
While those destination points are important and we need to strive to reach those goals and milestones, let us not forget to enjoy all of the great blessings that surround us today and find joy in our journey in this life.
As I read the lead-in to this post I was thinking to myself what the forgotten lesson would be and it came to mind that we could also learn from the story: don’t run faster than ye are able. The hare pushed himself so hard that he was exhausted and needed a rest in the middle of the race. So many people I know glorify busy. They go, go, go. They think they’re better parents because they have their kids in a gazillion after-school activities and stay up until midnight every night and arise at 5 am every morning. I don’t think that’s great, I think that’s stupid. Seriously, like you say here, slow down, enjoy the journey, don’t do so much that you’re always exhausted and need a nap. Say no sometimes. You really don’t have to do it all. Another lesson: pride. Hare knew he had first place won. He knew he was faster than tortoise. He knew he was better, so he sat down to take a break and fell asleep. Let us learn from hare to be humble. Loved this post. Great read. Thank you for sharing. Good stuff. Keep ’em coming. Appreciate it. Love your page and blog.
A more appropriate title should have been “One of The Many Forgotten Lessons of the Tortoise and the Hare.” Thanks for sharing your insights and other lessons that could be learned from this story.
theres also the point the hare fell asleep we shouldnt quit halfway through thinking weve done enough carry through or endure to the end is how you win
Very true. Sometimes we can get into a habit of thinking that and find ourselves never actually executing the tasks at hand. 🙂
thanks how old would you say i am
My kids and I frequently wake up in the morning and burst out singing “Cause it’s a great day to be alive, you know the sun’s still shining when I close my eyes…” You get the picture. The greatest lesson we can learn is to choose to be happy every day.
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