Proving Yourself Can Sometimes Be An Insult – The Tale Of A Cheetah And Race Dogs

Once a travelling circus went from town to town, dazzling audiences with spectacular performances and intriguing animals. Everywhere they went, they attracted huge crowds and wowed audience after audience.

The circus manager and ringmaster together made a formidable creative team. They pushed boundaries and created fresh, never-seen-before acts everywhere they went. Their shows never got old or boring, and the more they gave, the more people asked.

Before they reached a new city of town, their reputation would have already advertised their shows. And they didn’t disappoint, proving themselves worthy of the hype came naturally.

“More, more, more. Give us more,” Crowds would chant after shows.

The animal acts in the circus included a pack of dogs and a cheetah. The dogs were a fun pack. They were well trained and never let their trainer down; proving themselves worthy of their training. They made the audience laugh with their silly acts; they fetched balls from all kinds of unusual places, they danced, accepted belly tickles from audiences and made cute laughter sounds. The dogs gradually became one of the circus’ main attractions.

And then there was the cheetah, alone, caged, quiet and graceful. The cheetah’s act, like the dogs’ was also a huge attraction. You could hear the cheers from miles away when it was let out of its cage into an enclosure. Like the dogs, it also had a masterful handler and together they entertained and impressed. The cheetah jumped hoops, run an obstacle course, tossed a ball, and really just captivated with its poise and grace.

One day while brainstorming, the ringmaster had a brilliant idea, “Why not race the dogs and the cheetah?” He asked, “The audience would love it,” He continued. The circus manager agreed, and everybody went to work, intent on making their new act a success.

The dog handler worked hard to prepare the dogs for the race. Everyday he would pet each dog behind the ear and whisper, “proving yourself in this race is important, compete to win.” And so day after day, he trained the dogs, and with each passing day, the dogs got better.

The cheetah’s handler didn’t need to do much, all that was required was to teach the animal to recognize the cue to start running. It was an easy lesson for the animal, as soon as it heard the cue, off it sped, doing what it was born to do.

On the day of the race, many people gathered to watch with anticipation. The circus managers had done an great job advertising the race. The animals were each put in a cage, and on cue their cages were open. The dogs sprang out of their respective cages with gusto, running as if their very lives depended on it.

But the cheetah did something quite interesting, it did not move an inch! Whiles the dogs run feverishly, it lay in its cage unbothered, lifted one front paw and began to lick it. It watched as the dogs made it to the finish line, wagging their tails gleefully, then the cheetah lay down its head and closed it eyes.

“What just happened?” The circus manager asked the cheetah handler.

“I suppose the cheetah knows something we didn’t quite consider,” The handler replied.

“And that would be what!!!?” The manager asked hotly.

“That proving yourself in certain situations isn’t just a waste of time but also an insult!” the handler replied.

The manager stood still for a brief moment, and then said, “that is quite a timeless lesson isn’t it?”

“It is indeed. It is,” replied the handler.

And with that the circus closed for the day.

“If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your worth to someone, you have already forgotten your value.”

-Unknown

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