A Fable to Consider

Nov 2008 Issue

by Lin Floyd

There are lessons to be learned from examining the story of “The Tortoise and the Hare,” as found in Aesop’s Fables. Here’s my version, with its application to our spiritual lives:

The slow and steady tortoise, and the speedy hare lived in the same desolate area of the Mohave Desert where the Great Creator had placed them, but they were very different. The hare was always in a hurry to get wherever he went, while the tortoise was so slow and methodical that you hardly knew he was moving or making any progress at all. They struggled daily to survive surrounded by Joshua trees, yuccas and cacti.

Their living environment was harsh. The one thing they shared in common was their need for nourishment from any desert shrubs, wildflowers or grasses that grew in the sandy soil. The hare quickly gulped down any food or water he found while the tortoise took his time. He could store enough water in his body to last him for almost a year.

The hare knew he was different than the tortoise and prided himself on being faster. He boasted that he could beat the tortoise any day. He quickly rushed through each day focused only on competition. Life was busy––full of shrubs to hop over, bushes to nibble, and burrows to dig for sleeping and escaping the intense desert heat. One day, he decided to challenge the tortoise to a race. He knew he could beat him.

The tortoise accepted the challenge, and started the race slowly and deliberately, not worrying that the hare sped off and was far ahead of him. Along the way, the hare tired and stopped to nap. He was hot and worn out from so much running. So the hare rested and slept soundly as the tortoise slowly plodded past and finished the race first. The speedy hare was nowhere in sight at the finish line.

Are we sometimes like the speedy hare, running the race trying to keep up with others and passing them so we can be the winner? Forgetting why we are here, not discovering the joy of the journey, taking time to help others, or learning about ourselves in the process. We forget to get instructions from the Great Creator who sent us here.

He knows the path of our lives, our needs and wants. Always there to listen and to answer, He has not left us alone but given us a road map–the scriptures–for the journey called life.

The words of God tell us of other peoples’ journeys here on earth, how they overcame obstacles, and of His dealings with them. The scriptures show us the way and give careful instructions for success in all our endeavors, enabling us to once again return home.

The slow and steady tortoise has traits we would do well to emulate. He plodded along not losing interest or wearing himself out in his efforts to endure to the end. Because of his reduced speed, he had time to look for spiritual guidance and nourishment in his journey. He was more likely to feast on the word of God and not just gulp down the wisdom found there like a fast food meal.

To the hare, survival at all costs and beating everyone else was the name of the game. Keeping up or surpassing others was his goal in life. He didn’t take the time to ponder the reasons for his journey or how to develop his unique potential; his main focus was to win at any cost.

In our busy lives, we would all do well to consider our ways. Slow down just a bit and give priority to the important necessities, which sometimes get lost in the shuffle of our hectic daily lives. Few of us miss eating breakfast but many of us forget to nourish our spirits with wholesome scripture study and prayer before the struggle of daily living. It’s essential for our spiritual survival to take the time to feast on the words of God daily not just browse or ignore them altogether. It’s more important how we finish the race.

As the Book of Mormon teaches, “feast upon the words of Christ, for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do” (2 Ne 32:3).