An old story of race between rabbit and tortoise retold

A massive crowd of animals had gathered in an open clearing within the forest. After many years, the lion—the king of the jungle—had once again organized a race between the rabbit and the tortoise.

Unlike the previous time, this race took place on a 100-meter track, watched closely by the entire jungle. Both participants stood at the starting line. Before the race began, the tortoise looked at the rabbit, who smiled back, as if to say, “Do you really think I’ll fall asleep in a 100-meter race?”

The race began.

The rabbit sprinted ahead instantly, covering a great distance in seconds, while the tortoise, moving at its usual slow pace, lagged far behind.

But then, after running about fifty meters, the rabbit suddenly stopped. He stood motionless.

The tortoise, steadily making its way forward, eventually reached where the rabbit stood. But the rabbit didn’t move. The tortoise continued past him and slowly crossed the finish line.

The jungle erupted in cheers. None of the animals questioned why the rabbit had stopped; they simply celebrated the tortoise’s victory.

The tortoise turned around to glance at the rabbit, who still stood in the middle of the track. The rabbit smiled once more and thought to himself:

“This isn’t the race of life where winning is necessary. The true speed of a rabbit can never be compared to that of a tortoise.”

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Published under International Cooperation with "Sindh Courier"