How old were you when you first heard of the Tortoise and the Hare? One of my first introductions was Saturday morning cartoons starting the iconic Bugs Bunny. The race starts out with Bugs taking the challenge, and the Tortoise doing a little calisthenics to warm up. After a quick laugh, Bugs takes off at the starting gun and the Tortoise slowly inches along... Then, well, you know the story, and if you don't, watch it below (Looney Tunes style). But there is a bigger, and more powerful story at play here. To me, the Aesop Fable represents the Tao at its finest moment. The tortoise is all things perseverance. In the book 365 Tao by Deng, Ming-Dao perseverance is described as maturity, preparation and steady pace. Sounds a lot like the Tortoise, right? The Tao teaches us to cultivate patience and to build resources even when circumstances seem to be against us. So, in the quiet moments of reflection about your life, are you racing through each day like the Hare, or patiently building you power for the long-haul, like the Tortoise? Click here to watch the original movie by Warner Brothers Looney Tunes - YAY!
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