The tortoise is never slow.

"The tortoise is never slow."

If we could think that way, how much lighter our hearts would feel.

The tortoise is considered "slow" compared to the hare.
But is that really true?

Perhaps there is a value in the tortoise's way of moving that is different from speed.
Whether or not something is "slow" is actually a concept that only arises when compared to others.

When you realize that, the figure of the tortoise should start to look a little different.
Why don't we think together about what the tortoise in the story teaches us?

Moving like a tortoise without comparing yourself to others

"The Tortoise and the Hare", a story everyone has heard at least once.
It is a story about a race between a fast-running hare and a slow-moving tortoise.

The hare knew that the tortoise was slower than him.
Drunk on that sense of superiority, he becomes careless.
He stops along the way, thinking, "I can win even if I rest."

On the other hand, the tortoise.
Without comparing himself to anyone, he just keeps moving at his own pace.
He doesn't get impatient watching the hare, nor does he stop along the way.
He just moves, one step at a time, on his own feet.

And in the end, the tortoise wins.
That slow pace is what ultimately leads him to the finish line.

The hare's "carelessness" is born from comparing himself to others

The hare rested because he thought he was "faster" than the tortoise.
It was precisely because he thought he was "above" the tortoise that his carelessness was born.
Showing off his own abilities and comparing himself to others.

That might be something we do in our daily lives as well.
Comparing ourselves to others, feeling impatient or relieved,
and as a result, sometimes relaxing more than necessary.

The carelessness and impatience that come from comparing ourselves to others
disrupt our rhythm, like the hare, and make us lose sight of our own path.

The tortoise's "strength" lies in maintaining his own pace

On the other hand, the tortoise does not look at others.
He is not swayed by his own slowness or the speed of others.
He is not influenced by anyone else's pace; he simply sticks to his own.

No matter how fast the hare is, the tortoise doesn't see him.
He just keeps moving forward, little by little, on the path in front of him.

The tortoise's strength lies here.
Continuing to walk steadily without being swayed by competition or comparison.
The "journey" itself to reach the goal is the secret to his success.

In the end, both reach the goal

And what's interesting is that in this story, the hare also reaches the goal in the end.
Whether fast or slow, by walking the path, you will eventually reach the goal.

Without being trapped by the values that being fast is good and being slow is bad,
at each one's own pace, in each one's own way, just keep moving toward the goal.

It is not because of the result of the competition, but because of the power to continue,
that both reach the goal in their own way.

Do not compare yourself with others, just keep moving forward.

What this story teaches us is the meaninglessness of competing with someone.
The importance of moving at your own rhythm without being caught up in speed or order.

Like the tortoise, at your own stride.
And like the hare, in the end, return to your own path.

The tortoise can only look forward.
That is why I think it was able to win.

We, too, need to ask what we are in such a hurry for,
and what we need to compare with others.

Even if it is slow, be steady.
On your own path, at your own pace.

That might be what this story quietly teaches us.

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