The Tortoise and the Hare Revisited

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The Hare was once boasting of his speed before the other animals.

‘I have never yet been beaten,’ said he,

‘when I put forth my full speed. I challenge any one here to race with me.’

The Tortoise said quietly, ‘I accept your challenge.’

‘That is a good joke,’ said the Hare; ‘I could dance round you all the way.’

‘Keep your boasting till you’ve beaten,’ answered the Tortoise.

‘Shall we race?’

So a course was fixed and a start was made.

The Hare darted almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped and,

to show his contempt for the Tortoise, lay down to have a nap.

The Tortoise plodded on and plodded on,

and when the Hare awoke from his nap, he saw the Tortoise

just near the winning-post and could not run up in time to save the race.

Then said the Tortoise:

‘Plodding wins the race.’

(Source: Aesop's Fables)

Commentary

Probably everyone has heard this fable at some point. Usually, we're told that the moral of the story is that "slow and steady wins the race". Indeed, most worthwhile pursuits in life (e.g., relationships, schooling, career) are marathons not sprints, and the success of these things depends on perseverance.

But there are other morals that can be drawn. The most obvious one that comes to mind is probably "arrogance leads to downfall". It reminds me of a Chinese saying,

"An arrogant army will definitely face defeat."

Another one is "carelessness leads to downfall." The two are heavily related. When we are arrogant, we have too much confidence in ourselves, causing us to become careless.

Although these morals seem simple and easy-to-understand, the more important thing is, can we relate back to our lives? Can we prevent making the same mistake as the Hare and learn the virtues of the Tortoise?

I'm reminded of something a doctor said to me once. He said that there are two types of people that live a long life. The first is those who were born with a good constitution and took decent care of their health. The second is those who were born with a bad constitution and were very careful with their health throughout their life. Meanwhile, some people are born with a good constitution, but they squander their health with bad habits and choices, so they end up living a short life.

I think this relates to the fable. Someone born with a good constitution is like the Hare. If they take decent care of themselves, that's like running the race and not being careless or arrogant to nap. Someone born with a bad constitution would be like the Tortoise. But with persistent carefulness and perseverance, they can attain good health and "win the race".

The same is true in our learning and cultivation. Some people are born smarter than others. Some people started out in life with better conditions and resources than others. If those people get arrogant, they are reaping the seeds for their downfall. That would be a shame. If they could remain humble and careful, then they would attain spectacular success.

On the other hand, some people are born a bit slow-witted and dull. But with persistence and diligence, they too can become top of their field. As the Optimality Principle states:

"If others can do it in one try (and I cannot), I will do it a hundred times; if others can do it in ten tries (and I cannot), I will do it a thousand times. If one can truly follow this principle, then the dull will definitely become wise, and the weak will definitely become strong."

My Practice

In order to prevent arrogance and complacency, I have role models in mind that I am working to catch up to. This helps me to not think too highly of myself because I feel like I still have a long way to go compared to my role models.

When I see other people's faults, it's easy to think I'm better than them if I don't have that fault, or at least not to that degree. To correct this arrogant mentality, I will remind myself that everyone has different personalities, and each personality has their own individual strengths and weaknesses. Although they might have a certain weakness that I'm better at, they will also have certain strengths that I'm weaker at. No one is perfect. When I look at others, I should focus on their strengths and try to learn from them.

If I were the Hare, I might tell myself, "Although I am very fast, I'm not nearly as fast as a cheetah. Besides, I can still work on beating my own record. Although the tortoise is slow, he is very steady and calm. That's something I need to learn."

As for carefulness, I find that I become careless in two situations. First is when I think this task is too easy or simple. Second is when I'm rushed. The second situation is much more common, so I need to cultivate calmness and do daily meditation.

In terms of perseverance, if I set my mind to something that I feel is important, I am usually good at persevering with a daily practice. I think one major reason for this is because I've researched habit formation and use many techniques from experts.

For example, I've been writing things that I'm grateful for every day for many years now. What I need to be wary about is to not just go through the motions, but continue doing things with full attention and heart like at the beginning. I shouldn't write something I'm grateful for just to get it done; I should really feel the emotion.  The same applies to my daily meditation and other practices.

Conclusion

What are your thoughts on this timeless fable? How do you emulate the virtues of the Tortoise and guard against the vices of the Hare?

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Weekly Wisdom #392