I was in the middle of a series of exams. I had taken two finals already, and my next one was less than a week away. I was not prepared.
-I'm not going to make it. -I told Jorge. It's useless to put more energy into this. It's a lost cause. I think that the best thing I can do now is just show up with what I already know. At least that way if they fail me, I won't have wasted the whole week studying.
-Have you ever heard the story of the two frogs? -The Fat Man asked.
Once upon a time two frogs fell into a bowl of cream.
They immediately realized that they were sinking: it was impossible to float or even swim through this thick quicksand-like substance. At first, the frogs tried to get to the edge of the bowl by kicking, but it was useless. They only splashed about and buried themselves. Every time they came up to breath, it seemed more and more difficult to reach the surface.
One of them shouted: "I can't do this any more. It's impossible to escape. I can't swim through this stuff. I'm going to die here. It doesn't make any sense to prolong my suffering. It doesn't make any sense to die exhausted by a useless effort."
That said, it stopped kicking. It started sinking and was literally swallowed up by the thick white liquid.
The other frog, more persistent, or maybe more stubborn, said to itself "There's no way out! I can't get through this stuff. Death is closing in on me, but I'll fight 'til the end. I won't die one second before my time."
The frog kicked and splashed for hours without moving an inch. Suddenly, from all this kicking and moving and splashing, the cream turned into butter.
The frog kicked again and, with some amazement, realized it was in mid-air. It landed in the butter with a squish; but, it kept kicking and jumping until finally it reached the bowl's edge.
The frog jumped down off the edge and croaked happily all the way home.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
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...The other frog, more persistent, or maybe more stubborn, said to itself "There's no way out! I can't get through this stuff. Death is closing in on me, but I'll fight 'til the end. I won't die one second before my time."
ReplyDeleteThe frog kicked and splashed for hours without moving an inch....And then its legs gave out. Unable to continue to kick, the frog drowned.
MORAL: Persistence and fighting aren't guaranteed to let you prevail, contrary to popular belief.