The Importance of Struggle... ~ Chinua Achebe

[Larry Pattis]

"The leopard meets the tortoise on a lonely stretch of road. The leopard has been trying to catch the tortoise for a long time. The tortoise is a trickster, and so obviously has been escaping. And then on this day the leopard finally catches up with him and says, ah-ha. You know, now I've got you. Prepare to die.

And tortoise says to leopard: Can I ask you one last favor? And the leopard says, yes, why not? And tortoise says: Give me a short time to prepare myself for death. And the leopard looked around, said: I don't see why not. Yes, go ahead. But then instead of standing still and thinking, as the leopard had expected, the tortoise began to dig and scatter sand all over the road, you know, throwing sand in all directions with his hands and feet.

And the leopard says: What's going on? Why are you doing that? And the tortoise says: I'm doing this because after I am dead, I want anyone passing by this spot and seeing all this sign of struggle on the road to say: A man and his match struggled here."

~ Chinua Achebe

http://www.npr.org/2013/03/25/175259...ce-of-struggle

[random works]

It is eye opening when you meet someone, have a 'surface' discussion, which leads to a real sharing talk and discover this person has faced and overcome tremendous obstacles. Something of real value is shared and you feel honored
somehow.

[buddyhu]

I heard the original broadcast...it was even more powerful to hear him tell the story in his own voice.

Thanks for sharing this Larry.

[Scott O]

So the turtle gets killed and eaten, right?

[HHP]

Originally Posted by Scott O

So the turtle gets killed and eaten, right?

And the leopard is doing 30 to life for CITES violation.

[Long Jon]

I'm confused, is this thread about religion, or politics ?

[HHP]

Originally Posted by Long Jon

I'm confused, is this thread about religion, or politics ?

If you are struggling with that question, you get it.All that's left is to get a question mark tattooed on your forehead to mark your struggle.

[buddyhu]

Originally Posted by Long Jon

I'm confused, is this thread about religion, or politics ?

Hmmm....neither crossed my mind. I thought it was about how some men respond to death, and secondarily, about how one responds when they meet their match, or meet formidable obstacles.

Sometimes, if it is dark, one can mistake a piece of rope to be a snake.

Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

[Truckjohn]

Originally Posted by Scott O

So the turtle gets killed and eaten, right?

No.. Its unresolved.... But remember the bit about the tortise was very crafty and had outsmarted the leopard many times before....

There is just as good a chance that the leopard got hot sitting in the sun, bored watching this tortise slooooooooooooooooooowly dig and fling dirt... Wandered off for a drink or a nap and upon his return - the tortoise had outsmarted him and was gone again..

[Jim Owen]

I met Achebe in the 80s, prior to his accident. He had come to UVA to give a reading. When I was escorting him around the grounds, he seemed tired and frail. He was quiet and quite polite. He exuded a strength that seemed to belong to a younger, bigger man.

His reading and the Q and A that followed was inspiring.

Yvonne still remembers feeling as if she were in the presence of a saint. And she'd never read anything by him. He signed my copy of No Longer at Ease, which is still on my shelf.

I'll be teaching Things Fall Apart 3 weeks from now.

Thanks, Larry, for reminding me.

[Larry Pattis]

Thanks to those that made positive commentary and contributions here.

I think I see the pattern...

[Gmountain]

Originally Posted by Larry Pattis

Thanks to those that made positive commentary and contributions here.

I think I see the pattern...

I don't understand.

People go by and see a dead tortoise. Some enterprising person will take the shell and make nice guitar picks. The leopard has a good meal. End of problem.

[Steve DeRosa]

Fat hairy guy with spots came knocking on my door a little while ago, tried to interest me in some guitar picks on the cheap...

Full NPD review to follow...

[Larry Pattis]

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

See ya’ sometime.

[mr. beaumont]

No, the turtle gets it.

He throws the saND to show signs of a struggle (even though at this point it's not true) because he's been evading the leopard for a long time. He's put in a lot of effort. He knows he's beat, and most people who'd see a dead tortoise at the side of the road would think he "went easy." In this moment, he's a goner, but to him, the successful time of evasion is important.

I shared this with my students Friday, as an aside, because many were struggling with the current project we were doing in class...I intended it to be a 5 minute thing where we discussed why failure, if reached after hard work, could still be a win.

We were still talking 50 minutes later when the bell rang.

Thanks for posting this.