Throw away useless beliefs as they come! Say “Fast and Steady Wins the Race”
I am going to share one of the recent experiences of mine. At home I used to watch good number of videos with my daughter who is 5 years old. Some of the recent stuff what we watched together were ET, Finding Nemo, Pursuit of Happiness, Pieces of Bruce Almighty and Panchatantra katha. When we were watching one such CDs, there were good number of small animated stories and by end of it here was a moral for every story. When ever there was a moral came up immediately she will ask me to read it aloud and I was doing it. It was fun! I was feeling great because I am sure some point of time she will live these morals what she learns today as fun and will thank me for making it has part of her thoughts and life. There came a story of Hare and the Tortoise.
I am sure good number of you should have heard this story:
Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who is faster. They decided to settle the argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race. The hare ran fast for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he’d sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race. He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. The tortoise plodding on overtook him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champ. The hare woke up and realised that he’d lost the race. This is the version of the story that we’ve all grown up with.
This story was also animated well, it was fun to watch and towards the end there came a moral ‘Slow and Steady Wins the Race’. I was concerned. You know one important fact about human mind? 0-7 is the imprinting age. Whatever you are told, you accept as it is. That is the one of the prime age for formation of beliefs about the world and self.
Like the previous stories she was asking me what it says. I was wondering what to say. I told her it says something that is wrong! She asked me ‘What is that?’ Ya, actually it is “Fast and Steady Wins the Race” but the CD says slow and study wins the race. You know why I said that, when you say slow and study wins the race, it presupposes:
If you have to be steady, you have to be slow!
If you believe that and go by that in your life, you will not go anywhere. If Michel Shumaker believes it as truth he cant be there where he is today. Is there is a possibility you can be steady and also fast? I am sure that is more useful that being slow and steady!
The way the world grows, you will be rewarded only if you are fast and steady and I am sure you feel the same! BE FAST and BE FOCUSED! Keep going. Stop believing / Stop teaching to children Slow and steady wins the race, instead say: Fast and Steady Wins the Race!
Today be it sports or writing, she tell : I am fast and steady! It makes my day! Throw away useless beliefs and adapt the beliefs that are useful.
R.Manoharan said,
March 20, 2008 @ 4:55 pm
You are correct Vidya. There are also few other similar stories which mislead the kids. We have to educate the kids not to be carried away by these type of stories.