The Lion and the Mouse Fable

A lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws.  A timid little mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the lion's nose.  Woken from his nap, the lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.

"Spare me!" begged the poor mouse. "Please let me go and someday I will surely repay you."

The lion was so amused at the idea of the little mouse being able to help the King of Beasts that he lifted up his paw and let her go.

Some weeks later, the lion was caught in a net.  The hunters, who desired to carry the lion alive to their King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him.

Just then the little mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the lion's sad plight, went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes of the net, freeing the lion.

"You have helped me and now I have returned the favor.  Was I not right - even a mouse can help a lion!" said the little mouse.

The Moral of the story: No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

 

This story has been told in many variations.  It is part of a collection called the Aesop Fables.  The morals of the story are timeless and can be enjoyed by children as well as adults.  Because the characters are represented by animals, we cannot be offended by the message. 

 

As the great English writer G. K. Chesterton pointed out:

“They have no choice, they cannot be anything but themselves.”

Who named Teddy the Bear?

When I visited my mother last month I discovered her love for teddy bears.  She had a whole basket of bears in a basket, some small ones and some bigger ones.  I started wondering about the origin of Teddy the Bear.

I knew that the world over, children love the cuddle stuffed animals.  And even adults liked them around for comfort and softness because of their friendly and almost human personalities.

When I went to see the doll museum in Hanau, they had exhibitions of early bears including the famous Steiff ® bears which are probably the most expensive toy bears around for their quality and life-likeness.

Before the production of toy animals came into high gear in the early 20^th Century, most people had seen bears only in zoos unless they came across a life bear in the wild.

Where did the bear get the name Teddy?

In November of 1902, the president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt went to Mississippi to settle a land dispute.  The president was a skilled hunter; it was his favorite sport.  On one of his trips in the wild, one of his man had cornered a bear and suggested for the president to shoot him.  But Theodore Roosevelt didn’t like the idea of shooting a cornered bear.  A political cartoonist, Clifford Berryman drew a cartoon of this event and published it under the title: Drawing the line in Mississippi.  The picture indicates the boundary between the disagreeing states and the refusal of the president to shoot a frightened bear.

When Rose and Morris Michtom of Brooklyn New York read about the incident, it gave them an idea to create a stuffed bear to showcase in their grocery store.  The Mitchtoms had come from Russia and thought of the appeal a bear would have on children.  Well, it worked and they sold the bear and many thereafter. 

After the Mitchtom’s request to the president to call the bear “Teddy” the name stuck, and they made their teddy bear production a full-time business.

In the meantime, in Germany lived a woman named Margaret Steiff who had polio.  She could not walk and had to use a wheelchair.

She owned a clothing store and being a seamstress, she also made stuffed animals.  At the end of the 19^th century, she managed the production of soft Steiff® animals.  Margaret’s nephew Richard was an artist, and brought back a drawing of a bear family when he visited the zoo in Stuttgart.  Margaret created a toy bear from the picture.  Being resourceful, Richard took the plush bear to the trade show in Leipzig, Germany.  Nobody paid any attention to the bear, except for an American toy buyer.  He ordered three thousand bears which started the mass production of Teddy Bears.

That was the beginning of the bear manufacturing and many factories starting popping up in cities all over the United States.

Why is the Teddy so popular?  It is his appeal to all ages, young and old, boys and girls.

Who is your favorite bear character?  Mine is Winnie-the-Pooh.  I love his innocence and simplicity.  Even my grand-children now love Winnie-the-Pooh in videos.

From a book: Teddy Bears by Arlene Erlbach

Who is Brer Rabbit?

We all may have heard of Bugs Bunny but only the older folks among us may remember stories of Brer Rabbit.  Brer Rabbit is a character in folk tales of African-American and Native American origin.  He is also known as the “trickster” character because he can even outsmart the other characters in the stories.  

In folklore, the animal trickster represents an extreme form of behavior which people may be forced to use in extreme circumstances in order to survive.

Brer Rabbit is representative of how a smaller, weaker, but cleverer force can overcome a larger, stronger, but less clever power. He continually outsmarts his bigger animal rivals, Brer Fox, Brer Wolf, and Brer Bear.

Author Joel Chandler Harris used and popularized these characters in his series of Uncle Remus tales. One of the most well-known Brer Rabbit tales is a story of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby. Brer Fox has been trying and trying to trap the rabbit and finally discovers a way to do it. He sets up a tar “baby,” and when Brer Rabbit encounters it, mayhem ensues.

 

Br’er Rabbit and the Tar Baby

The rabbit becomes stuck to the tar baby and the more he fights against it, the more stuck he becomes—that alone could be a lesson for readers. But it doesn’t stop there. Brer Rabbit manages to trick the fox into throwing him into a briar patch. It sounds like a horrible punishment—at least that’s what we think at first. But, the rabbit has lived his life in the briar patch, so he easily works his way free.

Though the Uncle Remus stories were written in the late 1800s, the stories of the “trickster” rabbit go back centuries in time and will be passed along for centuries more. Brer Rabbit will continue to triumph and get into and out of sticky situations by outsmarting his foes.

Storyteller Diane Ferlatte/ Brer Rabbit's Dance

 

"They cannot distinguish even between Negro demonstrators and negro spectators.”

~ Wyatt Walker

I read about the “tricks” of Brer Rabbit in a book called David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell.  Mr. Gladwell writes about ‘Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.’  In his book, Malcolm goes into a lengthy account of the Civil Rights Movement and how in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King and Wyatt Walker together used the “Brer Rabbit” ideas to their advantage.  E.G., when they organized street protests, they waited until the early evening when the black residents were walking home from work.  They became onlookers and were mistaken for part of the demonstrations, therefore increasing their numbers.

"We need to remember that our definitions of what is right are, as often as not, simply the way that people in positions of privilege close the door on those at the bottom of the pile."

~ Malcolm Gladwell

Mr. Gladwell makes his point well: Underdogs have to use whatever they've got.

I was very moved by the book because in one way or another we all feel like underdogs at times.  Malcolm’s referrals to the bible reminded me that all throughout human history God has been on the side of the underprivileged; this is the history of restoration.  Because of the Fall of Man, man(kind) lost his proper position and became the underdog.  Once we recognize this weakness, it can become our strength, with God on our side.

If you like to read some more Brer Rabbits stories, here are the links: A Brer Rabbit Story

 
The Origins Of The Br’erRabbit Stories

The Journey of the Hare and the Tortoise

Most people are familiar with the morale of the traditional story of the Hare and the Tortoise.  The story goes like this according to the Aesop’s Fables: 

One day a hare was bragging about how fast he could run. He bragged and bragged and even laughed at the tortoise who was so slow. The tortoise stretched out his long neck and challenged the hare to a race, which, of course, made the hare laugh. 

"My, my, what a joke!" thought the hare.
"A race, indeed; a race. Oh!  What fun!  My, my!  A race, of course, Mr. Tortoise, we shall race!" said the hare. 

The forest animals met and mapped out the course. The race begun, and the hare, being such a swift runner, soon left the tortoise far behind. About halfway through the course, it occurred to the hare that he had plenty of time to beat the slow trodden tortoise.

"Oh, my!" thought the hare, "I have plenty of time to play in the meadow here."
And so he did.

After the hare finished playing, he decided that he had time to take a little nap.
"I have plenty of time to beat that tortoise," he thought. And he cuddled up against a tree and dozed.

The tortoise, in the meantime, continued to plod on, albeit, it ever so slowly. He never stopped, but took one good step after another.

The hare finally woke from his nap. "Time to get going," he thought. And off he went faster than he had ever run before! He dashed as quickly as anyone ever could up to the finish line, where he met the tortoise, who was patiently awaiting his arrival.

Morale: Plodding wins the race.

“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.”

~ Robert Louis Stevenson

There are many other ways to look at this story and find a morale in it:

Morale: Success depends on using your talents, not just having them.

Morale: Never give up when faced with failure.

Morale: Over-confidence, careless and lax; took winning for granted.

Morale: Slow and steady versus fast and reliable.

Morale: Arrogance and being a douche bag with a big ego.

Morale: Working with your strength will get you noticed; and bring advancement and growth.

Morale: With cooperation, they both can win; and face all kinds of challenges, like the hare carrying the tortoise over land while the tortoise was carrying the hare while swimming across the river.

Morale: Life is not only competition against others; compete against the circumstance or against yourself (trying to better yourself) to increase your performance.

I like you to consider a completely different viewpoint on this story.  Let’s consider the hare and the tortoise stand for two different personalities.  One races through life, never looking left or right; never stopping long enough to learn and to enjoy. He arrives at the goal, only to find out that he missed out on life itself.  While the tortoise goes slowly, smelling the flowers, learning lessons and overcoming setbacks, arriving at the goal with a great satisfaction.

The second example could be compared to the healing journey where we can restore our mind, body and soul.  Winning can have a whole different meaning in this context.  It is the one who arrives at the goal relaxed and peaceful who is the true victor.  In the end it is not important how fast we get to the goal but rather that we reach it with all the accomplishment of a rich and vibrant life.  Obviously, this has a different meaning for all of us.  None-the-less, we want to learn the lessons of life and grow and develop our full potential.  Life often asks us to stand back and listen.  Most importantly, we don’t want to compare ourselves with others, since each one has a different course based on our personal history.

Note that I am putting a lot of symbolic meaning in my observation.  The idea of going slow to go fast has its origin in the Martial Arts.  The meaning there is that we need to be relaxed to go faster.  It is certainly helpful to have a plan of action and think things through rather than just running and then run out of steam or motivation.

With vacation time approaching I hope that we all can take some time to slow down and enjoy ‘the art of vacationing' which is to slow down enough to make room for something new. 

Jesus' New Revelation to the World

FROM THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF REV. SUN MYUNG MOON - AS A PEACE-LOVING CITIZEN:

 

Early Easter morning after I had spent the entire night in prayer, Jesus appeared before me.... He said: "God is in great sorrow, because of the pain of humankind. You must take on a special mission on earth having to do with Heaven's work." That day I saw clearly the sorrowful face of Jesus. I heard his voice clearly. The experience of witnessing the manifestation of Jesus caused my body to shake violently, like a quaking aspen's leaves, trembling in a strong breeze. I was simultaneously overcome with fear so great I felt I might die, and gratitude so profound I felt I might explode.  Jesus spoke clearly about the work I would have to do.  His words were extraordinary, having to do with saving humanity from its suffering and bringing joy to God.

My initial response was, “I can’t do this.  How can I do this?  Why would you even five me a mission of such paramount importance?”  I was truly afraid.  I wanted somehow to avoid this mission, and I clung to the hem of his clothing and wept inconsolably. 

I was thrown into extreme confusion.  I couldn’t open my heart to my parents and share my huge secret with them.  But neither could I just keep it to myself.  I was at a loss over what to do.  What was clear was that I had received a special mission from Heaven.  It was such a huge and tremendous responsibility.  I shuddered in fear to think that I might not be able to handle it on my own.  I clung to prayer even more than before, in an attempt to quiet my confused heart.  But even this had no effect.  No matter how much I tried, I could not free myself for even a moment from the memory of having met Jesus.

My encounter with Jesus changed my life completely.  His sorrowful expression was etched into my heart as if it had been branded there, and I could not think of anything else.  From that day on, I immersed myself completely into the World of God.  At times, I was surrounded by endless darkness and filled with such pain that it was difficult to breathe.  At other times, my heart was filled with joy, as though I were watching the morning sun rise above the horizon.  I experienced a series of days like these that led me into deeper and deeper world of prayer.  I embraced new words of truth that Jesus was giving me directly and let myself be completely captivated by God.  I began to live an entirely different life.  I had many things to think about, and I gradually became a boy of few words. 

Anyone who follows the path of God must pursue his goal with his whole heart and total dedication.  It requires a steadfastness of purpose.  I am stubborn by birth, so I have always had plenty of tenacity.  I used this God-given tenacity to overcome difficulties and follow the way that was given me.  Anytime I began to waver, I steadied myself by remembering: “I received God’s word directly.”  It was not easy to choose this course, because it would require me to sacrifice the rest of my youth.  At times, I felt I would rather avoid this path.

 

Rev. Moon’s first encounter with Jesus happened in 1936; he was only 16.  He continued his dedication to the promise he gave Jesus and pursued the discovery of the secrets of the bible and events of history throughout his entire life.

There are three main points Rev. Moon discovered with the help of Jesus and God:

 

1.    God is our heavenly parent who lost his children ever since the Fall of Man happened.  This separation has caused Him great suffering and pain.

2.    Jesus’ salvation came through his resurrection; he didn’t come to die on the cross.  He came as the second Adam to restore the family.

3.    The providence of restoration is ongoing until the family of man is restored and God can reign as our Heavenly Parent over all his children; we call this the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth or world peace.

The complete autobiography of Rev. Moon is available at Amazon.com. His teaching is contained in the Divine Principle which can be listened to locally at any Unification Church or by studying the book available online.

 

If you are a serious seeker of the truth I like to encourage you to discover the life of a man who has only one desire: to have a deep relationship with Jesus and to bring salvation and peace to all mankind.  Find out for yourself why Rev. Moon’s encounter with Jesus is different from any preacher, prophet or philosopher; and why his teaching can lead you into true heart of God.