The Rabbit Hole
By Francisco Valentin
on behalf of The Collective Forces of Knowledge and Wisdom
It was a beautiful day, like many others I had enjoyed with my spiritual mentor; my noble teacher, with whom I had spent most of my childhood up in the Mountains centuries ago.
His name was Chang—the wisest and most loving human being I had ever met, yet firm in his convictions, principles, and purpose.
I was becoming a young adult at the time and had gained much wisdom from his kind and very well-articulated words.
He had this pragmatic way of explaining things in ways even a child could understand. That day was my last day with him before going back to the village to put all his teachings to the test.
We were about to drink tea, which I cherished for so many years along with the serenity that his company gave me.
Those were the most memorable moments in my life because that’s when he taught me the most meaningful lessons with the most compelling stories that no one else could surpass.
I knew I was about to listen to my last story, or should I say “lesson,” before heading to the village and putting into practice all I had learned from my beloved Chang.
While he was serving me the tea, he began the story in his most unique way—because I never knew when the story was about to begin! Pausing, then he said:
“One day, a young rabbit went into a rabbit hole, and he did not know where it would lead him.
Eager to know what was inside the hole, he worked his way in deeper and deeper until he found the first cave.
He went from one tunnel to another, and cave after cave, exploring all he could see throughout the rabbit hole. He was enchanted by all the new things he found.
Soon, the little rabbit realized that each cave and every tunnel took him nowhere, but only distracted him more from remembering his way back.
Now lost, the rabbit felt trapped, scared, and confused.
He searched and searched for his way back home, but the further he went, the higher his confusion.
In his frustration, he began to feel regret for what he had done to himself. But, he needed to find his way back home quickly before it was too late.
He knew he needed to find the light from the first hole he had gotten into before sunset, or he would have to spend the night in the rabbit hole.
Suddenly, the little rabbit knew that to get back home he must no longer be distracted by new tunnels and new adventures, but all he had to do was to trace the path back to where he came from.
The little rabbit jumped out of fear, turned around, and began his journey back remembering step by step the way back home.
Free from distractions, the rabbit kept remembering more and more of his way back, as he got closer and closer to where he came from, not knowing how far he still had to go.
Suddenly, the rabbit saw a dim light through one of the tunnels and went after it.
He knew the light was coming from the sun that he missed so very much while lost in the rabbit hole.
He ran as fast as he could through what seemed to him the longest tunnel he ever went through.
As he got closer and closer to the light, he began to see more clearly that the light came from the entrance that he first came through.
The little rabbit rejoiced with excitement at the sight of getting near the exit and as soon as he had the chance of exiting the rabbit hole, he jumped out as high as he could and promised himself never to go back through the rabbit hole again.”
Chang made a pause, picked up the tea jar, filled up his cup halfway, and after a quick sip, he added:
“The story is not about not going into the rabbit hole—although it is well known, it takes us nowhere.
It’s about not getting distracted with new experiences that, although fascinating, takes us nowhere but to just wanting more and more of what’s out there.
It’s about the understanding that once you choose to explore new horizons, you must not forget the way back home.
Forgetting where you came from and wanting to explore deeper into the rabbit hole is like wanting to live in darkness when there is daylight where you came from.
If you must go, my son, always remember where you came from—Don’t get lost in the rabbit hole.”
End of Story.