Which end of the elephant are you looking at? There is a very old fable, told in several versions and claimed by a number of groups. It is generally about a very large elephant and 6 wise men who were blind. One day the elephant comes to the village and causes a stir so they called for the wise men to investigate and tell them what it was. The men had never “seen” an elephant and wanted to know what this was, causing the villagers to be so upset. As they approached, one ended up at the leg and declared it to be like a tree trunk, sturdy and tall; another who was by its side, declared it to be like a wall – flat and wide. Another approached the tail and declared it to be like a strong rope, a third who examined the ear thought it was like a large fan. The fifth declared the tusk to be like a huge spear. And the last, standing at the trunk, likened it to a large and dangerous snake. The men proceeded to argue about who was right.
Although they were all correct in their descriptions, they were wrong in their assumptions. Sometimes we forget that what we see is filtered through what we believe and where we are in our life at that time. Sometimes taking a figurative step to change position can give us an entirely different observation. Or several steps back may give us an understanding of how to connect the different stories we may be hearing are connected.
Which part of the elephant are you looking at? Maybe it’s time to look at things in your life from a different view. What would you like to think about differently?
Feel free to share in the conversation over at my Facebook page – Click Here.