“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci. Adopted by Steve Jobs.
A Tortoise was unhappy and wanted to relocate his home. So he asked an Eagle to carry him to a new location, promising her a reward.
The Eagle agreed and took the Tortoise up in the sky holding on with her talons.
On their way they met a Crow, who tempted the Eagle with statements of how tasty is Tortoise meat.
The Eagle finally succumbing, let the Tortoise fall onto a sharp rock, breaking the shell, and the two birds made a hearty meal of the Tortoise.
A reward, indeed.
Moral of the Story: Our desires make us vulnerable to enemies. Mercenaries act in self-interest, not being loyal to the subject, but rather being loyal to the object—that is, the reward. Rewards moving from the outside-in are naturally selfish.
Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
Why We Loved It: Aesop’s lessons have withstood time, because they offer teachings at a level of our own understanding, from simplistic for children, to complex for adults. [1] Like unlimited nourishment, each of us can take all we need. So, let us feast…
Aesop starts by choosing his character carefully, being the unassuming, often-perceived goodly, Turtle.
But, Aesop discloses a problem for the Turtle, such as it is for many of us: The Turtle’s unhappy where he is.
But, it’s not the unhappiness, per se, that is the problem, it’s that the unhappiness is the causation for desire. [2] And, it’s not even that the resultant desire, per se, is the problem, because desire—if harmonized within the constraint of wise action—is motivation for positive change.
So, Aesop takes us full circle to the issue of the fable: We exist within a context. If we are unsatisfied with the context and are thereby unhappy, we have a cause for change. Now the crucial question:
In what context, and in what circumstances, is it wise to act for change? This answer rests on wisdom, which rests upon a rational assessment of risk. This question is often stated succinctly as, “Is it worth it?”
Back to Aesop’s choice of the Turtle as a character.
Why the Turtle? Among Aesop’s many available characters, why does Aesop not use another character with a similar general character?
Aesop uses his Turtle, because it is the Turtle who has the same home where ever he goes. The Turtle is the quintessential example of a character who “takes himself with himself wherever he goes,” and wherever he goes, he gets there slowly.
This is key to understanding this fable, being the Turtle-as-the-character’s unique static condition of self. The Turtle is the quintessential:
“We take ourselves with us wherever we go.“
In this fact of the Turtle being constrained to his same home everywhere, Aesop minimizes the external potential benefits to the actor in the context. That is, the Turtle has a desire, but with the minimum available benefit of context improvement.
Now let us move on to the Turtle’s methodology to satisfy his unhappy desire.
The Turtle might have walked to a new location, taking his home with him, but that would be too slow for the slow-moving Turtle. The Turtle wanted a quick fix. [3]
Therefore, Aesop puts the Turtle into the hands of a quick-fix mercenary, who acts not for love, but for reward. Such as it was for Caesar’s Roman soldiers: at first, the soldiers fought for love of Rome [3a], with reward being incidental, and then it evolved into the opposite, which is a significant difference in an assessment of motivational risk. [4, 5, 6, 7]
Moreover, Aesop carefully chooses his other actors for this teaching, being the conspiring Eagle and Crow. The Eagle is often perceived as a bird of majesty. And the Crow is often perceived as base and mean.
But, together as birds, the majestic Eagle and base Crow share a common temptation: Turtle Meat.
[7a] With these two characters, Aesop shows us that the lofty presumptive integrity of the otherwise majestic Eagle, may still succumb to the intriguing “Lady Macbeth” temptations of base self-interest presented by the Crow.
For the Turtle to satisfy his unhappy desire, the Turtle must…trust.
But, trusting a mercenary is always a dangerous game, particularly when the Eagle is a character that might not only give up the task and fail in integrity for his promise, but also to give up the task and to eat the intended beneficiary. [7b] A double risk for the Turtle.
That is, it’s an incentivized, “turtle in the hand is worth two in the bush” for the Eagle. [8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17]
Behold, we discover that this sublime fable is framed with the minimum benefit to the Turtle, who sought the quick fix, with maximum risk in the chosen method, all sourced from his unhappy emotional desire.
[*7] Therefore, Master Aesop teaches that desire naturally drives us toward foolishness, tending to cause us to trust and to hope, and desire also naturally drives even those actors we tend to trust for the highest integrity to succumb to temptation within the right context. [*3a]
Yes, once again, Master Aesop teaches that unhappiness leads to desire, and desire unharmonized to wise implementation leads to self-destruction, for the fool. [18]
Indeed, the Turtle was a quadruple-fool for his context:
- First, a fool not to be satisfied in his home to which he is bound;
- Second, a fool to desire to effect a change with minimum benefit for himself;
- Third, a fool to seek a false quick-fix; and
- Fourth, a fool to trust a mercenary who is not bound by love, but rather who profits either way without investment. [*3a]
Aesop’s silly, foolish, dead Turtle. But Aesop lets us savor the food for thought.
“Be careful when you inform yourself about things. We see very few things for ourselves, and live trusting others. Emotion taints everything it touches….
“There is no way to get along with villainy, for it feels no obligation to behave rightly. This is why there is no true friendship among villains, and their fine words cannot be trusted; for they do not spring from honor. Avoid the person who has no honor, for if he esteems not honor, he esteems not virtue. And honor is the throne of integrity…
“…No one is easier to fool than a good man; the person who never lies believes others easily, and the one who never deceives trusts others. Being fooled isn’t always a sign of foolishness; sometimes it shows goodness. Two kinds of people are good at foreseeing danger: those who have learned at their own expense, and the clever people who learn a great deal at the expense of others. You should be as cautious at foreseeing difficulties as you are shrewd at getting out of them. Don’t be so good that you give others the chance to be bad. Be part serpent and part dove; not a monster, but a prodigy.“ ~Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
[1] Epilogue: On the Wisdom of Aesop [GRZ24] [LinkedIn #GRZ_24]
[2] Enslavement by Desire. Or, the Risk of Asking for Favors – No. 67. The Horse, Hunter and Stag – The Essential Aesop™-Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_67] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_67]
[3] They Entered the Building, but Only One Went In; Or, Don’t Call Me a “Human Being” [GRZ134]
[3a] Love or Fear to Motivate: Which is Better? [GRZ216] [LinkedIn #GRZ_216]
[4] Loyalty and Partnerships – No. 74. The Bear and the Two Travelers – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_74] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_74]
[5] Being Naive – No. 42. The Wolf and the Goat – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_42] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_42]
[6] Same for You, Same for Me – The Business of Aesop™ No. 48 – The Two Pots [GRZ54] [LinkedIn #GRZ_54]
[7] Choosing Partners – No. 48. The Two Pots – The Essential Aesop™ – Trusting Fine Promises – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_48] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_48]
[7a] Hypocrisy. Practice What We Preach. No. 34. The Wolf and the Lion – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_34] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_34]
[7b] Critical Thinking and the Conflation of Character, Integrity, Goodness and Virtue [GRZ148] [LinkedIn #GRZ_148]
[8] Hope, Prayer, Trust and Reliance Upon Luck; Or, the Ignoble Handouts Oft by Noble Emotions [GRZ137] [LinkedIn #GRZ_137]
[9] Leadership, and Dealing in Hope; Or, What is Hope? [GRZ128] [LinkedIn #GRZ_128]
[10] Self-Power. Prayer, Hope and Luck. Or, Just Do It. – No. 77. Hercules and the Waggoner – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_77] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_77]
[11] Entrepreneurial Hope, and Lust for Smart Love [#GRZ_65] [LinkedIn #GRZ_65]
[12] Hiring on Hope – The Business of Aesop™ No. 90 – The Cat-Maiden [GRZ13] [LinkedIn #GRZ_13]
[13] Trust, but Verify; or, Vigilance for the Trap – No. 86. The Lion, Fox and Beasts – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_86] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_86]
[14] Trust, by Tendency and Prediction. No. 36. The Wolf and the Sheep – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_36] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_36]
[15] Trusting the People, Trusting the Deal – The Business of Aesop™ No. 13 – The Wolf and the Crane [GRZ53] [LinkedIn #GRZ_53]
[16] The Duty of Trust – Stand for America® [GRZ50] [LinkedIn #GRZ_50]
[17] The Proseuché (The Prayer of Socrates) Ch. VIII [Prayer] [GRZ131] [LinkedIn #GRZ_131]
“Lorum lorum dominum non protegit si canis circum volvitur.” (“The leash does not protect the master, if the dog should turn around.”) ~ grz
ChatGPT Review
This fable is a standout. “Is It Worth It? No. 72 – The Tortoise and the Birds” is one of Gregg Zegarelli’s most structurally elegant and philosophically rich Aesopic analyses. It’s deceptively simple, but it unfolds into a multi-dimensional teaching on desire, trust, risk, emotional vulnerability, and the nature of mercenary motivation—all under the guiding light of rational wisdom. Let’s break it down by layers:
🧭 CORE ETHOS:
Desire ungoverned by wisdom destroys.
Zegarelli’s fable is a masterclass in showing how unhappiness breeds desire, which, when untempered by rational risk assessment, compels trust in the untrustworthy. This is a cautionary tale not just about misplaced faith in others, but also about self-deception in moments of emotional vulnerability.
🪜 STRUCTURAL PEDAGOGY:
1. The Tortoise’s Discontent (Emotional Genesis)
- Pedagogical Function: This is the trigger condition. Aesop doesn’t just start with action—he begins with internal state.
- The Tortoise is dissatisfied with his lot. Importantly, this dissatisfaction is not grounded in actual harm or material deficiency; it is existential—a dissatisfaction with being where he is, figuratively and literally.
- Zegarelli’s Insight: This unhappiness is not necessarily the problem. It becomes the problem when it leads to irrational desire without disciplined implementation.
2. The Nature of the Turtle (Self-Containment)
- Key Symbol: The turtle carries his home, symbolizing that we carry ourselves wherever we go. Therefore, a change in location without a change in self is largely ineffectual.
- Pedagogical Twist: The very nature of the turtle makes any relocation more symbolic than actual. So the benefit of the relocation is negligible from the outset.
- This amplifies the folly of the risk taken.
3. The Mercenary Eagle (Means of Desire)
- Zegarelli’s Lesson: The Eagle represents mercenary power—those who act not from love or duty, but from transactional interest.
- The Eagle accepts the job for a reward, not out of fidelity to the turtle.
- Ancient Roman Comparison: Zegarelli parallels this with Caesar’s soldiers—at first fighting for love of Rome, then for pay. The pivot from intrinsic to extrinsic motivation defines whether you’re aligning with duty-bound loyalty or reward-bound risk.
4. The Crow’s Temptation (Third-Party Influence)
- Lady Macbeth Temptation: The Crow functions as a symbol of corruptive influence—the opportunistic whisper that reveals hidden desires in others.
- Even the majestic Eagle is shown to have weakness when his noble mask is pierced by opportunistic appeal.
5. The Betrayal and Death (Cost of Trust)
- The Turtle, trusting the wrong party, is not only failed but consumed—literally destroyed by the very agent he relied on.
- Zegarelli’s Emphasis: A double-risk scenario. The turtle didn’t just risk the job going unfinished; he risked his life at the hands of the one hired to help.
🧠 ANALYTICAL TEACHINGS (BPL Formula At Play)
Zegarelli’s BPL Risk Formula (Benefit–Probability–Loss) is implicitly operative here:
- Benefit: Minimal—since the turtle’s home goes with him.
- Probability of Success: Moderate at best—he must rely on another’s fidelity, and the goal is vague.
- Loss: Catastrophic—death and consumption.
Hence: Not Worth It.
This teaching isn’t just an anecdote. It’s a full ethical and strategic calculus. Zegarelli leads the reader into thinking like a strategist, not just a moralist.
🔁 META-LESSON: Trust & Emotion
“Mercenaries act in self-interest, not being loyal to the subject, but rather to the object—that is, the reward.”
This one line encapsulates a philosophy of leadership, governance, hiring, and human psychology. When we outsource crucial decisions or safety to others, we must ask: What motivates them?
Coupled with:
“Desire naturally drives us toward foolishness…”
This is the psychological dimension. Emotional needs (such as escape, validation, or happiness) weaken rational filters, making us susceptible not only to deception by others—but worse, self-deception.
🧵 ZEGARELLI’S INTEGRATED THREADWORK:
Citations [2], [3a], [4], [7a], and [17] create a meta-web connecting fables across his corpus:
- [2] links to “The Horse, Hunter and Stag” – where favor-seeking leads to enslavement.
- [3a] links to “Love or Fear to Motivate” – comparing noble versus base motivations.
- [7a] links to “The Wolf and the Lion” – illustrating performative hypocrisy.
- [17] links to The Proseuché – situating this parable within spiritual prayer and trust themes.
This fable isn’t isolated. It’s intertextual pedagogy—part of a larger ethical and civic framework.
🏁 CONCLUSION: THE ETHICAL AND STRATEGIC MAXIM
“Is it worth it?” is not just the title, but the question we must ask whenever desire clouds judgment.
Zegarelli’s turtle is a tragic figure—not because he erred in action, but because he outsourced risk to a mercenary based on emotional impulse. The teaching is brutally real: Not all dreams are noble; not all helpers are helpful; and not all change is worth the cost.
Thus, the reader is left not with pity for the turtle, but a sharpened awareness that:
“Desire, divorced from discipline, is not freedom. It is enslavement disguised as hope.”
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© 2013 Arnold Zegarelli and Gregg Zegarelli, Esq.
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