The Turtle and The Hare by Janaka Stagnaro

I present another parable from Janaka Stagnaro, originally published in his book Silent Ripples.  This one is a re-telling of the old classic, with a surprising, new twist.  Enjoy  💓Karen

THE TURTLE AND THE HARE 

by Janaka Stagnaro

One day Hare and Turtle met upon a country road. Turtle was happy to see Hare, as Turtle was happy just to see anything. Hare, on the other hand, did not really care to see Turtle at all. Hare had no respect for such a slow creature, a creature that seemed never to get anywhere. Hare, in fact, could not understand why Turtle even bothered to exist at all.

Yet this day, feeling a little bored with no goals in mind to accomplish at the moment, Hare decided to have some fun and make sport of Turtle.

“Turtle, why on earth do you exist? You are so slow; surely nothing you ever achieve. How do you ever expect to improve, to better yourself?

“I, on the other hand,” continued Hare, “am forever on the move; always seeking to improve as I accomplish goal after goal. I am on my way to perfection.”

Turtle blinked once, chewed slowly a few choice leaves off a generous plant. Then softly addressed Hare:

“Would you like to race?”

Although the ears of Hare were exceptionally large and Hare took great pride in their efficiency, Hare, in disbelief, asked Turtle to repeat itself.

“Would you like to race?”

Now, this was too much for Hare. Here was the slowest of the slowest asking the swiftest of all for a race. Hare could do nothing but roll on the ground in laughter.

“Surely, Turtle, you are mad—although certainly more humorous than I had given you credit for,” said Hare between bursts of laughter. “None are faster than I. And none are slower than you. And you want to compete with me?!”

“No, Hare,” said Turtle, “compete I would never. However, I am sincere in asking you to race.”

“All right, you name the race,” said Hare mockingly. “Anywhere you want.”

“Here is my home, for here is where I am,” said Turtle. “Let us say the first one to reach the end of the Four Directions and return here ends the race.”

“Oh, how absurd all this is. I will run the length of all the directions a hundred times before you reach the end of one, Turtle.

“Besides, how will we prove we have reached the end of the Four Directions?”

Turtle replied: “At the end of the eastern direction, where the sun rises to begin her stroll across the land, one must ask her for one of the golden rays of her hair.

“Then to the south there exists a cave where the fire in the earth lets herself be seen. There one must ask her for a piece of her flaming heart.

“Next, it is to the west where one will find the ocean teasing and caressing the land. There, from one of her countless fingers, ask her for one of her rings of shell.

“And finally, to the north, in the woods, one must find the guardian with the silver hair, and ask her for one of her arrows. “Then it is home. What do you say, Hare?”

“Oh, Turtle, forever will all the animals laugh at you for not knowing your limitations. And though I gain nothing, I am bored and will find pleasure enough in making you look the fool.”

It was settled. They set a date in the near future. And when that day came Hare asked Turtle if it still desired to go through with this madness. Turtle was still determined.

And at daybreak the race began.

Leaving behind a trail of laughter Hare shot off to the east.  It had played with the idea of taking its time, running circles around  stupid Turtle as it plodded along. However, Hare had thought of some new goals, so the sooner the race was over the better.

It took only a day before Hare sat impatiently at the end of the land, waiting through the night for the appearance of the sun.  And when she shyly peered over the rim Hare raced over to her and asked for a golden ray of her hair.

She obliged, forever refusing none, and handed Hare a golden strand. Smiling slyly as she did.

With a quick nod of thanks Hare sped off to the south. Another day of running and the cave to the inside of the earth stood before Hare. Hare peered inside and called to the fire.

Hearing a creature call she came, and without a thought she offered a piece of her flaming heart. And she, too, smiled in an odd way.

Hare nodded thanks and ran off to the west. Less than a day passed before Hare saw the languid body of the ocean, her fingers sensually playing with the land. She beheld Hare and reached out as she does to all creatures.

And from one of her fingers she let fall a lustrous ring of shell. Trying to hide a smile as she did.

Something was wrong, thought Hare as it picked up the ring and saw that same smile the other directions had given. And off to the north Hare raced, faster than it had ever run before.

The sun had taken only a few more steps before Hare found itself in the woods of the north, just as the full moon rose. And as she detected a new creature in her woods, the guardian with the silver hair came to watch over Hare.

And from her Hare received an arrow. As well as another smile.

With the fourth smile Hare knew something was wrong. And perhaps faster than one of the guardian’s arrows Hare shot to the starting place.

There, where Hare had last left it, was Turtle, chewing contentedly on some leaves.

A sense of relief filled Hare, although it felt embarrassed that it could even entertain any thoughts of losing to Turtle. Here was slow, stupid Turtle, who had probably realized at the beginning the absurdity of the race and turned back.

“So, Turtle,” said Hare, its nose high, “sense came to you at last and you realized your defeat, eh? I cannot tarry long here; I have squandered enough of my precious time on this venture, when I could have been accomplishing things.

“Here are the four items from each of the directions as agreed upon. Now if you would be big enough to address all the creatures as to the winner of the race, I’ll quickly be on my way.”

Turtle stopped chewing, looked straight into the eyes of Hare, and said softly:

“I am sorry, Hare, but I think you misunderstand the situation.”

And from inside its shell Turtle pulled out a golden ray, a piece of flaming heart, a ring of shell, and an arrow.

Hare’s mouth dropped along with its ears.

“This is not possible. This is trickery. You cannot tell me that you, Turtle, ran to the end of the Four Directions. No one is faster than I!”

“You are right, Hare. I did not run to the end of the Four Directions. But I, who am forever at home, and who recognizes that I AM the Center, simply called.

“And the Four Directions rolled up and returned to me.”

And from that day on, Hare has not been able to tell the other animals the outcome of the race, and has since fled in shame from all eyes.

Image credits

All images are created by Janaka Stagnaro and republished here with his permission.  Find a full viewing of Janaka's artwork on his Pinterest page and at Saatchi Art.

Titles are listed in the order they appear:

A Lovely Day

Dolmen overlooking mountains

A Rainbow Garden

Into the Outback

Hightide

Kachemak Bay, Alaska

Silent Ripples

About Janaka

Janaka Stagnaro is a Waldorf teacher, author, poet, artist and storyteller. Janaka has written 5 books for adults, 1 youth and older book, and 3 children books. He also leads workshops and guides individuals in their personal growth.

Visit Janaka at his on his website, Amazon, Pinterest, Saatchi Art, or Facebook to see a complete works of paintings, books, meditations, and other current offerings.

Janaka says of his journey: "It was not until hiking alone in Nepal, after a few years living in Africa with the Peace Corps, that I lost my identity with my mind. I was felled with a Mighty Stroke of Love. I became absorbed by this Loving Force. When it passed nothing mattered more than regaining that state. I now had a purpose--to BE THAT. Eventually my path led me to many countries and to many teachers. Yet I must say that 'A Course in Miracles' and connecting with the Christ, then to the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, have helped me to go or become aware of that State beyond the mind. Then, years later, Rudolf Steiner's teachings of Anthroposophy and becoming a Waldorf teacher assisted in integrating my Awareness into the world of forms.

"Today, after over 20 years of a conscious Process, I think I may say that I am feeling at home in the world and that I no longer am running from it. I find much joy in working on this amazing planet, bringing some good to it, and reveling in playing at the arts and finding pleasure in seeking the Truth. Not out of making me someone more worthy, but out of freedom because all this is what my Soul wants me to do.

"If I must define myself I must say that I am a Divine Being, due to my Intrinsic Nature in God, working at the art of becoming a Human Being and with all the struggles that entails."

About Silent Ripples

Throughout the ages, all over the world, stories have been used to inspire, to guide and to awaken humanity in our quest to rediscover our Divinity and to answer the prime question: Who am I? In a style similar to Kahlil Gibran, Silent Ripples: Parables for the Soul, is a collection of 39 parables to remind the reader of our Absolute, Unchanging, Divine Self. Greatly inspired by A Course in Miracles, the tarot, Ramana Maharshi, and years of being a Waldorf teacher, these stories emerged. "The parables set forth in Silent Ripples present often forgotten and all too seldom used universal truths in a both compelling and immenently readable fashion. Janaka presents life's lessons in a manner that affects the individual and compells one to reexamine one's "truths"in a non judmental manner. Truly a beautiful and enlightening book." "Janaka, poet, artist, author, offers a collection of original parables written while traveling in Australia, Asia, and the United States. They are an archetypal landscape floating before us as we read; our attention drawn to this or that, each person, each time, differently. This is a Dreaming meant to represent the qualities Soul must find if it is ever to re-awaken to itself. Parables traditionally seem to be a special kind of writing; we have to retain ourselves to read them. It is like reading poetry or somewhere in between."

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