Reading Notes: The Foolish, Timid Rabbit

Reading Notes...

  • Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbit
  • I liked this story on several different levels. For one, I think its a good example of the herd mentality. People have a tendency to follow what most people are doing and consider "the norm" to be the best, simply because everyone else is doing it. They initial hysteria seems to stem from the rabbits own paranoia. But then that paranoia is confirmed when the coconut falls. The rabbit was waiting for the world to begin to fall apart and the moment that it seemed like it was indeed falling apart it refused to stop and think of other possibilities, it just went with the first thing that popped into his head (sort of a case of confirmation bias) and ran. This then leads to more animals simply following what everyone else is doing until the lion sets the record straight. It reminds me of one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes: "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect"- Notebook, 1904
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