Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Once there was a healthy rabbit named Bunny. He was very proud of his health and speed. One day, he was going through a field and saw carrots growing there. His mouth watered on seeing those delicious carrots and he started eating them.
A tortoise was passing that way. Bunny saw him and started laughing at his slow speed. The tortoise was extremely hurt at this and told Bunny that walking slowly does not mean that one who has slow movement is always slow. But Bunny did not pay any attention to this and continued bragging about his fast speed. He challenged the to have a race with him. The tortoise who was already hurt, accepted the challenge.
The very next day, both of them fixed a distant mountain as the finishing point of the race. Both started the race towards the point. Bunny was very fast and covered around two to three miles in a very short time. When he stooped to look back, he found that the tortoise was now here to be seen. He thought that it will take the tortoise a lot of time to reach him and , therefore, he decided to take rest and eat some grass to while away his time.
After Bunny had eaten the grass to his heart’s content, he began feeling sleepy. Since the tortoise had still not arrived, Bunny thought that taking a nap would not make any difference. Thus, he lay down thinking that he would anyway catch up with the tortoise very quickly. The cool breeze blowing from the river side soon sent him to sleep. He was deep asleep when the tortoise passed him. He looked at Bunny with a smile and continued moving slowly but steadily till he reached the finishing point of the race.
After two hours, Bunny awoke from his deep sleep and saw that the tortoise was still nowhere to be seen. He thought that the tortoise had still not arrived. But again giving a second thought, the idea that he had no idea of how long he had slept and the tortoise may have reached the finishing point, alarmed him. He sprang up on his feet and began , running towards the finishing point. To his surprise and consternation, Bunny saw that the tortoise had already reached the finishing point and was waiting for him. The tortoise had won the race. Bunny was very much ashamed, as he himself had bragged so much about his fast speed.
It is rightly said that it is always better to concentrate on what one is doing, instead of bragging around and ignoring one’s target. Accuracy and steadiness is more important than speed. Undoubtedly the tortoise was much too slow as compared with the speed of the here, but what was positive in him, was his steadiness and sincerity towards his goal. The hare lacked this quality and lost the race.
Remember, slow and steady wins the race.
