There are variations on this story mostly in the details but the basics of it remain the same regardless how it's told.

An interesting thing about this story is that when I discussed it with others nearly a couple of years ago I was surprised to hear comments that the turtle should have simply minded his business and said nothing about the sea to the frog.

I'd be interested in the comments by the members of this forum on this little, "fable".
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The Frog in the Shallow Well

A Chinese Fable

Once a frog that lived in a well bragged to a turtle that lived in the Sea.

"I am so happy!" cried the frog, "When I go out, I jump about on the railing around the edge of the well.
When I come home, I rest in the holes inside the wall of the well.
If I jump into the water, it comes all the way up to my armpits and I can float on my belly.
If I walk in the mud, it covers up my flippered feet.
I look around at the wriggly worms, crabs, and tadpoles, and none of them can compare with me.
I am lord of this well and I stand tall here. My happiness is great.
My dear sir, why don't you come more often and look around my place?"

Before the turtle from the Sea could get its left foot in the well, its right knee got stuck. It hesitated and retreated. The turtle told the frog about the Sea.

"Even a distance of a thousand miles cannot give you an idea of the sea's width; even a height of a thousand meters cannot give you an idea of its depth. In the time of the great floods, the waters in the sea did not increase. During the terrible droughts, the waters in the sea did not decrease. The sea does not change along with the passage of time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls. The greatest happiness is to live in the Sea."

After listening to these words, the frog of the shallow well was shocked into realization of his own insignificance and became very ill at ease.

Perhaps the frog needs this experience of the turtle visitor in order to begin to dream...to dream of a different world. This knowledge, of possibility, stretches the parameters of his frog-imagination.

Once the little frog-ego gets over itself, the discomfort eases. Curiosity takes its place. If the turtle returns later, he might find the frog jumping over and over and over, obsessed by trying to exit the well.

Another time, the turtle might return to find the frog praying to God to release him from the well, so certain he might be that there is somehow more to his frog-life.

Eventually, a visitor might find that the frog has again become content with his life, after his many attempts and prayers, finally realizing again and appreciating what he has. However, the frog might now have a new story to tell to the turtle, if indeed it ever returned from the sea....

a story of reaching out, trying to fly, leaping about, holding out his very heart with all its wishes...and how it felt to "almost" fly....

The turtle, in reply, might again try to describe how amazing his freedom is, out in the vast sea, and how weightless he feels, and how fascinating the views are...out there. He might begin to describe what it feels like to arrive back at the beach.

Pehaps they have a meeting this time, a little different from the earlier meeting. Maybe they get to know each other a little better. Maybe they feel a little more alike this time...Who knows?


love, blink

I  would say that this fable is a bit like the old saying"The grass is'nt always greener on the other side"



Juditha speaks for me on this one. u keep surprising me Juditha, your insight.
love, alysia

haha! Bets...if we really want to carry this on...then we get out of household chores while sitting here...   soo....what is a frog? it used to be a tadpole, thats why it likes to brag, it can jump around now, catch flies with its tongue..mmm. taste good.


along comes this big old turtle with a shell on it's back. thats its house. carries it's house everywhere. how strange. it can't jump. poor thing!
however, little croaking frog found a friend wandering by sluggishly with its house on its back and froggie has to croak so croaks about whatever...
soon if enough croaking starts, the whole pond is doing a revit..revit..revit..sound all over the pond, as well, we won't speak of the crickets right now who do this practically all night long.

humans are weird. they put cricket sounds into their music CD's, but not the sound of a frog. and of course the turtle does not make a sound at all.

then we must question, why is a turtle trying to get into a well? is this turtle bored?

in any case we might suppose the turtle is friendly and is doing one of these tricks:




in this case, if that is what the turtle is doing shouldn't the frog be quite amused instead of feeling insignificant?  yes, I think that is the solution to this whole story.

A related tale is the woman who asked the preacher what the world was like. "The world", he said, "Is a crystal sphere resting on the back of an elep[hant that stands on the back of the Cosmic Turtle."

"OK," she replied, "And what is that turtle resting on?"

"The cosmic turtle is resting on the back of a still greater turtle."

"OK," she replied, "And what is that turtle resting on?"

"That turtle as well is resting on an even greater turtle."

"But what does that turtle stand on?"

"Madam, have no fear. It's turtle's all the way down."


dave

Well, I say at least that friggin frog was told the friggin truth, right from the friggin beginning and wasnt friggin lied to!   Which can not be said of many of the turtles in charge we have had around us frogs for a lot of friggin centuries.

I wanna talk to that friggin turtle, and none of the others right now!


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