Morning. I seem to have a thing about parables at the moment and I have a another parable for this week.
The Blind Men and the Elephant is a parable from India. It’s been adapted by many religions and published many times so the story varies but the moral of the story is the same. Enjoy.
"A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. The first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said, "This being is like a thick snake". For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said the elephant, "is a wall". Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear.
Each of the six men start suspecting each other thinking, that the remaining five are lying. They start arguing with each other.
A wise man passes by. He enquires about why they are arguing with each other. They tell him what they think about the elephant. They ask him to decide who is correct among them about the description of the elephant.
The wise man said, “All of you are correct!”. They were shocked after hearing this and asks him that how it is possible that all of them are correct."
The moral of the story is that there might be some fact to what somebody says. We might not agree with it at first because we have our own reasons. But what we think might not be the absolute truth. Always be open minded to others’ opinions, experiences and beliefs.
Karen is a qualified personal trainer and nutrition coach living in Cyprus near Paphos with her husband Mal and their cat Dave. She has been a personal trainer for 14 years and a qualified nutrition coach for over 2 years. She is passionate about working with people of any age and fitness level to improve their health and wellbeing.
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