What’s wrong with the hare and the tortoise story

“The hare and the tortoise”, for me, is a bullshit story.

Sure, the tortoise won the race. But the hare enjoyed a nice nap. How important is it in life to live in the moment; to live for oneself than to run in a race chasing materialistic trophies.

The story is a failure even if you see the win as something more meaningful, like success or contentment. Life is not a one-on-one race. Imagine a lot of tortoises racing against a lot of hares. Now, the probability of all the hares falling asleep during the race is so slim that it is almost impossible for a tortoise to win the race.

By teaching the tortoise to race with a hare, you are suggesting the tortoise to rely on luck- a slim probability that the hare will fall asleep during the race. Even if the tortoise is “slow and steady” and show full determination and perseverance, would it be enough to beat the hare in normal circumstances?

Why not suggest the tortoise to participate in a different competition where its strength lies- like crack-my-back competition or walk-and-swim competition? If the tortoise has to run that race, better ask it to get a nice jet-pack first.

Picture Source: [1]

“The hare and the tortoise” is a bullshit story which demotivates kids to find and pursue their strengths and excel in them irrespective of the expectations of the society while teaching them that only perseverance and determination can win them the races of their lives.

Either don’t let them take life as a competition or if you let them, make sure they have fair chances of winning it.