THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE
Once upon a time in a jungle there were a hare and a tortoise along with other animals. The hare always teased the tortoise for his slowness in moving. One day the tortoise could not take it anymore. He challenged the hare for a race. Hearing this, the hare laughed. He said, “Oh! My dear tortoise! You are hardly a competitor to me.” The tortoise said calmly and quietly, “Let us race first.” The hare agreed to the race.
The next day, both of them started from the same point. It was agreed upon that the person who reached the lake around 2 kms away would be the winner. The race started. The hare obviously moved swiftly and went far ahead. The tortoise grimly and with determination slowly moved on. The hare had reached very far. When he looked back he could not see the tortoise anywhere. He thought that this race was too easy. He decided to relax under a tree. It was a huge tree. A light wind blew and it was afternoon. The hare lay down under the tree and he felt so peaceful and happy under the tree that he drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, the tortoise was moving on slowly and steadily. He took time but finally he reached the hare. He was happy to see the hare sleeping. With the same slow and determined steps he moved on. His legs ached but he didn’t give up. The tortoise believed in giving his best. At last, he reached the lake. When the hare woke up he was shocked to find that a lot of time had passed. He ran towards the lake and there he found the tortoise waiting for him. The tortoise looked at him and said, “You lost the race not because I am faster but because your ability got into your head. Indeed you are faster but don’t boast about it. Each of us has his own unique ability.”