One day a thirsty crow was searching for water. It found a pitcher in which there was water but could not drink from it since the water level was very low. So he looked around, found some stones and pebbles and dropped it into the pitcher. This caused the water level to rise and the crow drank the water.

We all know the story of the thirsty crow – one of the most famous of Aesop’s fables. The moral of the story is said to be – Where there is a will, there is a way.

While this story has been in our collective consciousness for so many years, I doubt if many would have listened to it with a critical ear. I really wonder whether the story can really be true in a practical sense, even if the concept is palatable scientifically.

Imagine a round pitcher with a little water. I really doubt that by putting in pebbles and stones the water level will rise so much for the crow to be able to reach it. Beyond a point, the water will stay within the gaps between the stones. Adding more stones will not help at all.

This raises a number of questions which must be answered to justify the story

• What was the shape of the pitcher?
• What was the initial water level?
• What size and weight of pebbles can a crow pick up in its beak?
• How many pebbles are needed to be put in to raise the water level by one centimeter?

Even if we are able to get some answers to these questions, I am unable to come to terms with the moral of the story. Why is the moral always – where there is a will, there is a way?

I would say the following morals would make more sense

• Necessity is the mother of invention
• Think out of the box
• Never leave a pitcher with water outside, a crow might put stones into it.
• Jugaad your way to get what you want

I am shocked that we tell our children stories and don’t ask them to think critically on them. We even given them pre-cooked conclusions. Not only that, we also never pause to consider the truth of what we have been told as innocent stories.

By the way, some scientists went ahead and did an experiment with crows and pitchers and found some interesting results.

Refer
Research Paper on the Experiment done on Crows
Video of the Study

A hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the Tortoise, who replied, laughing: “Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat you in a race.” The Hare, believing her assertion to be simply impossible, assented to the proposal; and they agreed that the Fox should choose the course and fix the goal. On the day appointed for the race the two started together. The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course. The Hare, lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking up, and moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise had reached the goal, and was comfortably dozing after her fatigue.

The moral of the story has always been told as – slow & steady wins the race.

Why is this the only moral of the story? Can the moral not be stated as – Do not be too proud of your strengths?

Is it not possible that this particular hare was foolish enough to doze off? Is it not possible that the hare learnt his lesson after losing the race?

What is the probability that the tortoise has more than 50% odds of winning in any given race with a hare? Will you bet on the hare or the tortoise?

Why is the moral told from the tortoise’s viewpoint but not from the hare’s viewpoint?

I think there would be no story if the hare had won the race. The tortoise was the underdog & therefore his winning is the crux of the story.

But it is still difficult to wrap one’s head around the point that a slow & steady approach of the tortoise will always be a winning strategy against the hare.

While this seems obvious, there is another perspective from which this approach makes real sense and this is what Aesop was referring to as the moral of the story.

​The slow and steady approach is actually a mental attitude towards attaining one’s aim. It refers to remembering one’s aim and not forgetting it. Even if one makes a slow and steady progress, it is better than making fast, random, distracted efforts like the hare, who got lazy, tired and slept off. The hare did not remember his aim and ultimately lost to the tortoise.