RACE THAT NEVER HAPPENED

Race that never happened

After the defeat, the hare thought about this impossible and couldn’t come at terms with the fact that he was defeated by a turtle. It wasn’t the stutter of the turtle that cost him his pride, rather his own sense of entitlement.

Why do we keep these two words, “slow” and “steady” together? What positivity does “slow” brings to the table? Isn’t it eulogizing this behavioral attitude which is at the other end of the table as far as present epoch is concerned? That hare can’t even think of sleeping during a race if he was living in the reality. Are we trying to discourage our toddlers, year after year, to give up speed and rather be slow? When we talk about this combination, the lazy bones pick up the slow part and ignore the steady part. Can’t we focus on “Swift” and “Steady”?

The present reality is all about speed with accuracy, persistence and generating enough credibility. Where does this fairy tale fit in? When you teach a story, you create a role model, a figure to look up to. Which one is it here? Would you like your kids to be a turtle? Then why continue with this illusive tale? Because it suits to console a crawling baby against a galloping one.

Let’s try to bring this story to present reference of time frame. What all possibilities exist? First and foremost, there won’t be any race between a turtle and a hare, until unless of course there are some “reservations” or more politically correct word, “positive discrimination” for the turtle, wherein the track length might get reduced or the turtle gets a heads up. But since the turtle doesn’t have a voter id (yet) and isn’t a vote bank, he won’t be experiencing such luxuries.

Second scenario might be that the platforms for race changed and turtle opt for water rather the fields. In this case they might both be a winner since they expertise in different subjects and are equally fast at their strongholds. This points out to the current education system which doesn’t promote diversity and tend to homogenize the streams. This also shows the callous attitude of government towards rectifying the flickering education system.

Third scenario could be they join hands and race against a more powerful opponent. Turtle could lend its support when it comes to aquatic playground and hare is already good at soil. This brings out the team effort among the kids. But again there is no need to be “slow”, you need to be mentally aware and physically capable.

Last but not the least, they fall in love and live happily ever after, since breaking the norms is the latest norm.
Anyways, there is no need of the word “slow” to accompany “steady”. A person can be steady even when he is swift.

The hare woke the turtle up with a splash of water and soon the ephemeral happiness on the face of turtle vanished into thin air as he confronted the reality. The race never happened and finally he came at terms with his reality of pace and benefits that comes with it when he attended the funeral of the hare after hare till he died, a century later.