The tortoise and the Hare

‘Look at me!’ said the Hare to the other animals. ‘Just look how fast I can run.’

The Hare ran across a field as fast as he could. All the animals agreed that yes the Hare was very fast.

‘So, who wants a race?’ said the Hare.

None of the animals spoke.

‘See,’ said the Hare. ‘You’re all too scared to even try.’
‘I’ll have a go,’ said the Tortoise.

The hare looked at the tortoise in surprise. With a loud snort and a laugh he bolted away, leaving his competitor in a cloud of dust. The tortoise stood for sometime watching the hare speed away and then flexing his stumpy legs he started dragging himself forward.

“Is he even moving?” Asked the animals each other.

Within a few minutes, the hare had already reached half point and was feeling a little out of breath. Deciding to take a short rest, he made some popcorns, settled in front of HBO and started watching the last season of Game of Thrones. Somewhere around Episode 4 he fell asleep.

As the day wore on, the tortoise kept going. Finally he made a pit stop at a cafe. Sipping on the extra hot skim milk cuppacino, he checked his Apple Watch. His speed was steady albeit slow but he was making progress, one step at a time. As he trudged along, his mind wandered and he thought of why had he taken on a challenge that was clearly not in his favour.

Thinking back to last Friday’s sermon, he mused on the words of the imam “Everyone is endowed with some God given talents and those talents are our strengths. But whether those strengths will be a Triumph or a Trial depends on how hard we put ourselves to work.

Think of the story of Prophet Moses. His physical strength should have been his asset but instead it caused him to accidentally kill a man. Or that of Prophet Joseph whose physical beauty landed him falsely accused of assault and in jail. So, what may seem like sought-after qualities in worldly sense might just be the very things we are tried with.

The reality is, we, none of us are in a race. Especially against each other. The only one we have to watch out for is ourselves. So, while one may use their talents to find momentarily happiness, the other might use their weaknesses to find his purpose in life.

Happiness comes and goes but purpose keeps us going. Even if life is not happy for a while.

Even if it may seem to others that we are hardly moving

Even if it may seem to us that we may never make it.

“We are all on a unique path fellas”; the Owl Imam had said, looking over at the congregation of lions, elephants, foxes, monkeys, birds, insects and reptiles. “Your path is one-of-a-kind just like you. It has its own set of scenic views and bumpy roads. And the best part is, there is no finish line to reach. By the decree of our lord, as long as we keep moving forward, the journey itself is the destination.”

At this point the tortoise stopped, stretched his legs and took a long sip of his coffee. Taking off his sunglasses he looked around admiring the beauty of his surroundings. He stood there for a while lost in the breathtaking view. Then putting on his headphones, he dusted his two pair of Nikes and started back on the road. As he walked he began humming along with the song playing on his iPod.

“Ham kyun chalein us raah par
(Why should we take the road)

Jis raah par sab hi chalein
(That everyone has taken?)

Kyun na chune woh raasta
(Why not choose the path)

Jis par nahi koyi gaya
(That no one has travelled?)”