Perseverance, Courage, and the Tortoise and the Hare

Perseverance and the Need for Inner Courage

I have always loved the story of The Hare and Tortoise. It is one of my favorite of Aesop’s fables. But what lessons does it teach, other than the age-old idiom slow and steady wins the race?

When I read this story, I cannot help but think of two primary virtues: Perseverance and the will to engage our inner courage. Psyche, the element of the soul that lies within our inner depths, will show us that two opposing forces are present. Like the soul’s opposite, the spirit, we find a battle at the heart of this tale, one between the ego and the Self. This battle is readily apparent in the imagery present, where the hare allows his self-assured nature to coax him into taking a nap. This decision will ultimately fail him when the Self-assured tortoise knows he needs to keep one foot in front of the other to reach his destination.

To persevere, we must create inroads toward self-assured knowledge about the beauty of our gifts. But we must also heed not to let ego distractions sway us from the destination of a Self-realized state, for it is in this higher construct that we create meaning in life. Remember, even Lao Tzu stated, “a Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Put one foot in front of the other, and maybe the journey leads to that destination once only held in the confines of your dreams.

With blessings, my friends. May your journey unfold with health, wealth, and happiness as you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams. Goodbye for now.

A Sacred Journey Podcast

In today's podcast, Dr. Thomas Maples explores the archetypes of the sun and shadow, using an inspirational quote by Walt Whitman, who reminds us to always keep our face to the life-giving sun, so that shadows will fall behind. — Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thomas-maples8/message
  1. A Guiding Light: Peace and Engaging the Shadow
  2. Philosophical Inspiration: A Necessity 4 Fact
  3. A Necessity 4 Fact: Statistics and Reality Created
  4. Perseverance: Slow and Steady wins the Race
  5. An Awakened State: Guided Meditation and Affirmation.

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