A Different Hare and Tortoise story

Once upon a time there lived a hare and a Tortoise near a lake in a beautiful forest. The two were great friends indeed . The two were great friends indeed! They used to meet each other frequently, to chat, to dine, to play, and also to quarrel! Their relationship was always very lively.

However, the hare sometimes felt that it is superior to the Tortoise in certain respects. To prove it’s point, one day the Hare persuaded the Tortoise that the two of them should contest in a running race, just for fun! The Tortoise laughed aloud and quipped, “Are you kidding? You want to have a dig at me, knowing full well you will be the winner! The hare said, “Look, it’s only a friendly contest. If you feel insulted, then I’ll not compel you…OK!” and said goodbye. With this remark, the Tortoise responded that it is ready for the contest. In fact, the Hare somehow coaxed the Tortoise in a clever manner to respond positively.

Within a few moments of the start of the race, the Hare was nearing the Finish Line. It was thinking, “My friend is still miles away. In the meantime, let me have a nice nap and when he comes right near me, let me have the pleasure of overtaking him and cross the finish line!”

But the Tortoise came near him, overtook him and also crossed the finish line and still his friend, the Hare was snoring in deep sleep!

The tortoise was very proud and happy that, for once, he could score over his friend in a contest, in which he is least expected to win. The Hare felt very dejected, obviously.

The moral of the story is : Never be over confident!

The story doesn’t end here. Unable to stomach the defeat, the Hare calls for a contest, once again. The tortoise also agrees. This time, the Hare is vigilant and it wins the race very easily. Now the Tortoise feels very dejected over it’s defeat.

The moral of the story is : You cannot defeat a strong opponent when he is equally vigilant.

The story doesn’t end here either. Throughout that night, the Tortoise was brooding over it’s defeat and was wondering whether it can ever defeat the Hare at all! Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind. The next day, the Tortoise called on his friend and congratulated him on his success. It said, “Since you said it’s a friendly contest, will you agree for another contest…this time with a venue of my choice!”

The Hare said, “Let it be as per your choice”… knowing very well that the Tortoise can never win him in a running race!

The race starts. As usual, the Hare springs fast like an arrow. But he suddenly comes to a grinding halt when he comes across a river in front of him. He goes to his left, to his right, and there is no way that he can go to the other side of the river. In the meantime, the Tortoise comes leisurely in his own pace, gives a sarcastic look at his friend and straight plunges in to the river, swims swiftly, and reaches the other side and wins the race.

The moral of the story is : Each one may have some strong point over the other.

If you think the story ends here, you are mistaken. The cut throat competition goes on for sometime, with alternate victory and defeat on either side. After sometime, both of them get fed up and feel, enough is enough.

They feel deeply of their waning friendship and the Hare said in a remorseful manner, “My dear friend, we have been fooling each other and only developing animosity over each other, in the name of fattening our ego with the pride of victory. I wish we bring back our good old friendship, once again, to its pristine glory.” The Tortoise immediately agrees and also pledges that it will do everything to live in harmony and friendliness.

So, instead of indulging in a cut throat competition, they have determined to travel together with care and concern for each other. When the Hare comes across the river, his friend takes him on his back, and reaches the other shore safely. On the Land, the Tortoise gets on the back of his friend and is able to get past the obstacles in a jiffy! Like this, together, they could cross many rivers and lands, many obstacles and risks, which would not have been possible, had they travelled alone!

The moral of the story is : Together, we can cover greater distance, acieve more, face turbulent situations and times more effectively, and in the long run, we always end up in a win-win situation!

And the story …..begins here, in the real sense, for both of them! Let them enjoy every moment of it.