By Bernard Rowan
This week I'm discussing the mythical figures of the tiger and rabbit. Recently, I visited Busan and stayed at a hotel that featured the remarkable portrait of a tiger with a rabbit smoking a pipe. The image surprised me a bit, and I've done some more reading about this pair.
In general, the tiger is a powerful figure that doesn't do good. He's eager to kill and eat humans, and he appears as a source of danger and force without reason. His hunger represents the power of nature to destroy the human without aid of reason. The rabbit is a figure of good using his wits and trickery. The rabbit helps humans and overcomes the powerful, the tiger included.
We need the rabbit because this world has the tiger in spades. We don't see that we've idolized this old enemy and in doing so have become too much like him!
Consider the story of the tiger stuck in a forest pit. A man brings over a fallen tree for the tiger so he can escape his prison. The tiger then pounces on the man to eat him. First the man asks a pine tree to help, but the pine tree says that humans disrespect them, using the wood, burning trees, and the like. The pine tree tells the tiger to eat the man. Then, an ox appears. The man begs for his help, but again to no avail. The ox is no different. Humans load oxen with heavy chores and have them do all of their hard labor. Again, the man feels the fangs of the tiger near his throat! Then a rabbit appears. He plays the part of the sage. The rabbit says the tiger and the man should return to their original positions. The tiger and the man return; the tiger goes back to the pit. The rabbit restores the original positions and leaves the matter as it is. The human is safe.
Because of the rabbit's cleverness, the human does better. Humans need to respect the power of reason to defeat force. Recognize first things we need to correct for our tendency to best nature.
There are other stories. Sometimes the rabbit induces the tiger to sit near a freezing pond so the tiger's tail freezes. Other times, the rabbit tricks the tiger into swallowing a hot rock. The rabbit beats the tiger's power with trickery and resourcefulness.
In another story, a turtle seeks the forest rabbit. The Dragon King of the Sea, who needs a rabbit liver, sends the emissary. The rabbit eventually senses the trick, and he uses his trickery or cleverness to impress the king. He promises to give his liver but says it's in the forest, as it's an important organ and not one he carries around lightly. The King allows the turtle to escort the rabbit back for his liver. Once there, the rabbit tells the turtle of his tomfoolery and exits stage right.
In this case, the rabbit uses prudence and the noble lie to escape cunning and deceit. He outwits the unjust, powerful King.
Humans need to respect the rabbit. We need not succumb to idolatry of force and its cousin, power. Like the tiger in the book, The Jungle Book, we can't think that Shere Khan is All. But sadly we do!
A final story tells this point. A man catches rabbit and gives it to his wife. In the pot goes rabbit, only to escape while the woman stokes the fire. The rabbit places the couple's baby in the pot. They cook and eat their child while the rabbit sleeps in the baby's bed. The rabbit runs to tell the couple their child's thief is on the roof. The couple set the roof on fire and burn down the house.
Humans should beware of hubris. We see in force, power and authority a refuge beyond their places in the universe. The rabbit is man's friend, as the better part of prudence. The rabbit also stands for an enforcer of nature's limits on human reason when men and women aspire to better nature or to go too far.
How do we hold the tiger? Mirror the rabbit. We're just mere mortals in the end! Korean folktales suggest we ignore this truth at our peril.
Bernard Rowan is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University. Reach him at browan10@yahoo.com
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In general, the tiger is a powerful figure that doesn't do good. He's eager to kill and eat humans, and he appears as a source of danger and force without reason. His hunger represents the power of nature to destroy the human without aid of reason. The rabbit is a figure of good using his wits and trickery. The rabbit helps humans and overcomes the powerful, the tiger included.
We need the rabbit because this world has the tiger in spades. We don't see that we've idolized this old enemy and in doing so have become too much like him!
Consider the story of the tiger stuck in a forest pit. A man brings over a fallen tree for the tiger so he can escape his prison. The tiger then pounces on the man to eat him. First the man asks a pine tree to help, but the pine tree says that humans disrespect them, using the wood, burning trees, and the like. The pine tree tells the tiger to eat the man. Then, an ox appears. The man begs for his help, but again to no avail. The ox is no different. Humans load oxen with heavy chores and have them do all of their hard labor. Again, the man feels the fangs of the tiger near his throat! Then a rabbit appears. He plays the part of the sage. The rabbit says the tiger and the man should return to their original positions. The tiger and the man return; the tiger goes back to the pit. The rabbit restores the original positions and leaves the matter as it is. The human is safe.
Because of the rabbit's cleverness, the human does better. Humans need to respect the power of reason to defeat force. Recognize first things we need to correct for our tendency to best nature.
There are other stories. Sometimes the rabbit induces the tiger to sit near a freezing pond so the tiger's tail freezes. Other times, the rabbit tricks the tiger into swallowing a hot rock. The rabbit beats the tiger's power with trickery and resourcefulness.
In another story, a turtle seeks the forest rabbit. The Dragon King of the Sea, who needs a rabbit liver, sends the emissary. The rabbit eventually senses the trick, and he uses his trickery or cleverness to impress the king. He promises to give his liver but says it's in the forest, as it's an important organ and not one he carries around lightly. The King allows the turtle to escort the rabbit back for his liver. Once there, the rabbit tells the turtle of his tomfoolery and exits stage right.
In this case, the rabbit uses prudence and the noble lie to escape cunning and deceit. He outwits the unjust, powerful King.
Humans need to respect the rabbit. We need not succumb to idolatry of force and its cousin, power. Like the tiger in the book, The Jungle Book, we can't think that Shere Khan is All. But sadly we do!
A final story tells this point. A man catches rabbit and gives it to his wife. In the pot goes rabbit, only to escape while the woman stokes the fire. The rabbit places the couple's baby in the pot. They cook and eat their child while the rabbit sleeps in the baby's bed. The rabbit runs to tell the couple their child's thief is on the roof. The couple set the roof on fire and burn down the house.
Humans should beware of hubris. We see in force, power and authority a refuge beyond their places in the universe. The rabbit is man's friend, as the better part of prudence. The rabbit also stands for an enforcer of nature's limits on human reason when men and women aspire to better nature or to go too far.
How do we hold the tiger? Mirror the rabbit. We're just mere mortals in the end! Korean folktales suggest we ignore this truth at our peril.
Bernard Rowan is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University. Reach him at browan10@yahoo.com
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