It was Sunday morning, a day when parents are more worried about their child while for children it was another independence day but for me it was more than a day of an increased time with friends on playground. After taking breakfast I ran out of house and crossed the road though I heard my mother yelling that I should be back before noon but I pretend that I don’t heard her and went to the park where children’s were waiting for me. As I entered the scene they started demanding of what they want to hear from me.
It was not a new thing for me. Every Sunday I go to park to tell story to children who lived in slum areas. I don’t know what they got in hearing stories from me but as the story reaches it’s end I learn many things from them. Life is no easy for them but their smile in such situation led even the mighty to take proud on them. I took a sit with them on the ground and said that their story is ready and I was quite sure that the story of tortoise and hare and their race would definitely attract them. It has attracted children in the past too. And as I began how their race started and how tortoise started slow and then in the middle of the race hare thought to took a nap as tortoise would take time to reach him and suddenly he fell asleep while tortoise slowly reached the finish line.
After completing the story I told them the moral of story in grandiose manner that ‘slow and steady wins the race’. However after every good story their is one important element that is, the positive response of the crowd which is listening to you. But this time it was little different and the first sign I got was from a kid who was sitting in the last row and he said, “Is this story helpful in real life”. I replied in affirmative. “Not possible” came from another boy sitting in another corner. He continued while I was thinking of what was going to come from him,” My mother told me that the world has become competitive and for slow ones the life has become troublesome if we are not fast enough then there would be another person who will grab the opportunity before from us”.
It was unexpected for me though I agree that things are unexpected only when we never expect it to be. The another boy also jumped in the discussion and said that,” I have never seen someone with less talent being first. Even in our school the best ones are praised and are encouraged and weaker ones are not even heeded”.
The story is taken from Aesop’s fable and was based on principal that success is not the monopoly of talented ones but even untalented can achieve success through his persistence.
I replied,” It’s true that the world is witnessing massive competition but there are examples where even a weaker ones have shown their ability”. I continued,” It doesn’t matter who comes first but the thing matters is the completion of the work. Even we come first but the work is not properly done or there were chances that if we have given some more time, it would have been better.
Then doesn’t we decreased the quality of our work”. I considered it one of the best reply of my life. It was best as it had silent him. Something is best only when it had silent the crowd or it had won it. I was wondering which were the reason for the silence. It was a silence of that one second after which clock strikes 12. The response was away from satisfaction.
The first boy assailed,” Nowadays no one wants good but best ones in their side. I work in hotel and even if I want to, I cannot left my job because it is the only source for filling my stomach. In school I always try my best still I don’t get what I desire. How can this story help me?”.
I replied, “Here the story definitely can help you. You shouldn’t lose hope and continue your effort to follow your desire”.
The argument ended from his side. It was already noon and time for dinner and so I told them that we will meet on next Sunday and said goodbye to them. In way to my home I was thinking the coexistence of the story with today’s life style of the poor ones. The boys last word were still echoing in my mind,” Sir, It’s a story just to tell, a legacy to pass but for this contemporary world where even the less talented, with money and muscle power are achieving what they desire and even talented ones are not getting what they want. So the persistency of untalented, who has already experience all of these, seems fragile to him.
The best definition has been altered and is composed of most talented and most influential one”. I know the story has no fault and was still helpful but this discussion has left me with one thought that Isn’t the race between tortoise and hare, a discriminatory one. An adaptation to a lesson gone wrong in the way it is told.
