Bruno Caboclo tentatively approached his veteran teammate in the locker room. “Hey Serge. I need advice from you.”
Serge smiled warmly at his young, shy teammate. “Of course. It is my duty to guide you through the challenges in your life.”
“I’m in the NBA four years now and I still can’t get playing time,” Bruno said. “I need some of your traditional African wisdom in the form of a folk tale or story, if you have it.”
Serge thought back to his African upbringing and all the stories he had heard at his grandfather’s knee. “Okay, I will tell you the story of the strong giraffe and the weak giraffe.”
“In the savannah of Africa there lived two giraffes. One was a strong giraffe, very tall and proud, able to eat the leaves of the tallest tree. The other was a weak giraffe, quite tall compared to the other animals of the savannah but shorter than his stronger giraffe companion. The weak giraffe would try to eat from the same trees as the strong giraffe, but could not reach as high, where the most delicious leaves grew, so nutrient-filled from the direct light of the sun.
The strong giraffe was also very coordinated and intelligent. When a lion would come to chase them away from the watering hole, the strong giraffe evaded injury easily with his cunning. The weak giraffe, however, would often have his ankles bitten by predators, because he was not as smart and his skills of evasion were not as strong. The girl giraffes would laugh at him then, seeing how vulnerable he was, and the weak giraffe would feel embarrassed and go back to his home to cry.
One day while drinking at the watering hole, The weak giraffe said to the strong one, “How can I be strong and intelligent like you?”, and the strong giraffe laughed because it was a very naive question.
“It takes time and patience,” said the strong giraffe to the weak one. “Even then, you might not ever reach my status as the greatest of the giraffes. However, that should not prevent you from working hard every day to improve.” The weak giraffe was heartened by this answer, because he had much respect for the strong giraffe and would receive any advice the strong giraffe offered.
Just then, a hungry lion came out from behind a bush. It first went to the strong giraffe, because this giraffe was larger and would give more meat, but the lion gave up quickly. It then chased the weak giraffe, and the weak giraffe tried to remember what the strong giraffe had told him, but his brain was frozen in fear, and the lion bit him on the haunch.
The weak giraffe tried to escape, but the lion’s grip was too strong. Soon, more lions came and the weak giraffe allowed himself to be eaten until only bones were left of him. So ends the story of the strong giraffe and the weak giraffe.”
Bruno smiled “Thank you Serge. That story really inspires me.”
“Any time.”