I have been reading several versions of this story. This is a combination of three:
An elephant was put on exhibition in a dark house. Crowds of people came to see this animal for the first time. They could not see in the dark, though, so they touched the animal.
The palm of one fell on the trunk. 'This creature is like a water-spout,’ he said.
The hand of another lighted on the elephant’s ear. To him the beat was evidently like a fan.
Another rubbed against its leg.‘I found the elephant’s shape is like a pillar,’ he said.
Another laid his hand on its back.‘Certainly this elephant was like a throne,’ he said.
The people began to quarrel about the nature of the elephant, shouting, "Yes it is!" "No, it is not!" "An elephant is not that!' 'Yes, it's like that!' and so on, till they came to blows over the matter. Unseeing and ignorant, the people were by
nature quarrelsome and disputatious, each maintaining reality is thus and thus.
The eye of the Sea is one thing and the foam another. Let the foam go, and gaze with the eye of the Sea. Day and night foam-flecks are flung from the sea, and you behold the foam but not the Sea. We are like boats dashing together; our eyes are darkened, yet we are in clear water. (Rumi)
An elephant was put on exhibition in a dark house. Crowds of people came to see this animal for the first time. They could not see in the dark, though, so they touched the animal.
The palm of one fell on the trunk. 'This creature is like a water-spout,’ he said.
The hand of another lighted on the elephant’s ear. To him the beat was evidently like a fan.
Another rubbed against its leg.‘I found the elephant’s shape is like a pillar,’ he said.
Another laid his hand on its back.‘Certainly this elephant was like a throne,’ he said.
The people began to quarrel about the nature of the elephant, shouting, "Yes it is!" "No, it is not!" "An elephant is not that!' 'Yes, it's like that!' and so on, till they came to blows over the matter. Unseeing and ignorant, the people were by
nature quarrelsome and disputatious, each maintaining reality is thus and thus.
The eye of the Sea is one thing and the foam another. Let the foam go, and gaze with the eye of the Sea. Day and night foam-flecks are flung from the sea, and you behold the foam but not the Sea. We are like boats dashing together; our eyes are darkened, yet we are in clear water. (Rumi)
16 Comments
I have always loved that story. I think it highly enlightening.
ReplyDeleteAs I've grown older, Sandy, I don't argue anymore about what is and isn't reality or truth. We all see what we see.
ReplyDeleteThat book/magazine holder next to my sofa was my grandmother's. I don't know where she got it. But I cherish it. :)
Beautiful. I love elephants. Now I know why.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard this before but I really like it.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of 'The Little Prince': The most important things in life are invisible for the eye.
ReplyDeleteA great reminder this story - thanks for sharing!
Wishing you a great end to your week :-)
I had someone correct me today on my last blog and even wrote me an e-mai, thinking, I should re-write it.
ReplyDeleteI can't agree enough with the teach...the older I get, the more I come to the very same conclusion. We all experience different levels at different times.
Excellent analogy!
A friend of mine emailed me this quote -
ReplyDelete"A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices."
And i said that it was true because we will not know the entire story until we know truth in its entirety...
hmmm I've learned something today...thanks for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeletehave a nice day
I thank for the visit and your comments in my current post.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful the small history, him I had not heard never before.
A lovely post for the first of the month that is labelled "in like a lion and out like a lamb." Have a lovely St David's day!
ReplyDeleteI always loved this story. Perceptions can be so different.
ReplyDeleteTrue, everyone beholds something from their own point of view.
ReplyDeleteSandy, I'm glad you got through the day without proposing anything to anyone - much safer that way... Oh I wanted to tell you how much I like your new profile picture...:D
ReplyDeletewhen i was in my junior high school, at about 14 years, I joined Story Telling - English Competition, (english considered foreign language not second language in my country).
ReplyDeleteI brought this story for the competition (about elephant), and I wont the 3rd place :-d
so, this posting reminds me my Junior high school :P
Very true about us humans. I am guilty also. Actually, I always feel like a lawyer. My Dad was a real one. It could be the bringing up?
ReplyDeleteI am praying to become a better person each day.
There's much such behavior in the world. What a place it might be if we call could realize that we didn't know everything and learn from others as they from us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here.