Creating Your Life’s Story

A rabbit is in a forest typing his life story. A fox comes along and says, “What are you doing, rabbit?”

The rabbit says that he’s typing his life story. The fox doesn’t believe it, so the rabbit says, “Come in here to the cave, and I’ll show you the beginning of it.” So the fox goes in, and a few minutes later the rabbit comes out brushing his whiskers.

Then a wolf comes along and asks what the rabbit is doing. He doesn’t believe the rabbit either. So the rabbit says again, “Come on in my cave, and I’ll show you the beginning of it.” So the wolf goes in, and the rabbit comes out ten minutes later, brushing his whiskers.

Then a bear comes along and asks what the rabbit is doing. He doesn’t believe the rabbit either, so the rabbit takes him into the cave. Ten minutes later out come a lion and a rabbit.

The moral is this: It doesn’t matter so much what life story you think you’re writing, it’s who your collaborators are. If that doesn’t make sense, read the story again making note of who goes in and out of the cave.

[From “Forces in Human Development“, a speech by Dr. Jerome Kagan.]