This line from Ab-Soul is a reference to the classic tale of the tortoise vs. the hare, one of Aesop’s Fables. Surely, you’re familiar with the story and understand the message so I won’t sit here and tell you that slow and steady wins the race. There is another element of the analogy that we’re looking at today.
Safety for the turtle is inside its shell, on the outside are risk and progress. To move forward, the turtle must first make itself vulnerable. Only once you are vulnerable can you receive the world.
But why should you open yourself up to potential danger when you have a safe and secure shell?
Like a seed sprouting out of its casing, growth doesn’t happen until you are open to receive it.
Sure, the turtle is safe in its shell and won’t feel pain from having its soft spots poked, cut, bitten, etc. But it also won’t experience the world and feel the dirt under its feet or the breeze on its skin.
Becoming vulnerable may mean that you are hurt sometimes, but the best joys of life are accompanied with equal parts pain. Avoiding this pain stagnates growth and dulls the experience of life.
Isn’t an existence without growth and life pretty much “dead with a heartbeat”?
So, what can you do? You don’t want to get hurt, but as a turtle racing the hare, you must get moving sooner than later.
Of course, you shouldn’t seek unnecessary danger, that’d be dumb. But you can’t let fear imprison you inside your shell. There is a wide, beautiful, and scary world out there.
Largely, the fear of leaving your shell comes from an uncertain direction. You’re a slow little turtle at the mercy of anything faster, stronger, and bigger. There’s no time to wander around and figure out where you’re going. Walking around blind with your neck hanging out, you’ll get hurt for sure.
Know where you’re going. (What progress are you trying to make?)
Start walking, even if it means you may get hurt. Fortune favors the bold.
Who knows? You may end up winning the race…