The Elephant and the Blind Men

Many, many years ago, I was told a story about blind men meeting an elephant. This story continues to pop into my head (and has for the last several years). It is based on a book called "The Elephant In The Dark" written by Idries Shah. Here is a summary written about the book:

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. 

In the case of the first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, he 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, they 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.

The blind men discover their disagreements, assume others are lying, come to blows. 

It is obvious to me why this story keeps coming into my mind, as it seems to be an accurate depiction of what is continuing to play out in our world. I see people passionately holding on to certain beliefs based on what they believe to be true (i.e. what part of the elephant they are touching) . . . and I see people coming to blows over what other people are saying because based on what THEY believe, certainly the other people must be lying (or they are conspiracy theorists or idiots).  :-)

In those cases what we aren't considering is that maybe it's ALL true. Maybe because we are only looking at one piece of the pie (or elephant) and because we aren't seeing the big picture (the whole elephant), we aren't able to see that each of us may be holding a piece of the truth. 

Maybe what we see feels like the truth because it is based on what we have learned, what we have experienced, what we have been exposed to. Maybe it's not that we're "blind" but because we're wearing different glasses, with different prescriptions (or filters), we are seeing something different. 

So here is something to consider . . . What if we are ALL correct? What if all of us are touching the elephant but the elephant is so big that we can only understand the part of the elephant that is right in front of us? 

How much unity might we be able to create if we considered that we are "right" and so are the other people whose views we are fighting against? I invite you to sit with that a moment . . .

What do you think would happen if we approached others with curiosity rather than condemnation for having a different belief or understanding?  Is it possible we may learn something? Could we ask more questions and possibly gain a deeper understanding of why someone holds a different belief? Could we even look for points of agreement? 

Maybe from there, we could talk a bit more and learn how both perspectives could be true. Or at least say "thank you for sharing more about your perspective" That might at least leave a door ajar for future discussions rather than slam a door closed, right?

Is this something you would consider? I am not saying you have to - I am merely suggesting that maybe a different approach might bring about different outcomes. Maybe it will bring more harmony to our interactions with the people who are touching a different part of the elephant. Maybe we can begin to build bridges instead of burning the bridges down. 

 

The Right Place At The Right Time

 I believe we are often placed at a specific location at a specific time because our presence is needed there in that moment. I also believe that while the reason may not be something we can see or understand at the time, I trust that it is tied to the bigger picture, part of a divinely orchestrated plan. Over the years, I have had it happen and heard of it happening so frequently that I no long question it. 

Here are a few examples that I feel inspired to share:

A client of mine told me she had witnessed someone getting hit by a car. She rushed to the man's side to see if there was anything she could do for him, but he died before help arrived. She said he was losing blood too fast and there wasn't anything she could do to stop it. 

She felt really sad that she wasn't able to do anything and she wondered . . . if everything happens for a reason, why was she there?  She asked me what I thought. 

My mind and heart were immediately flooded with thoughts and emotions and images. I told her I was sensing very strongly that she was supposed to be there, because the man needed to experience her kindness and compassion before he left this world. He needed to feel the love of her generous heart and know that he wasn't alone . . . that her purpose in that moment was to be there, so that in his last moments on earth he knew that someone cared.  I told her it wasn't about saving his life, but about giving him the gift of love and compassion in that moment. 

She got goosebumps when I told her that and it brought tears to her eyes. I could feel her letting go of the judgement she placed on herself for not having been able to do more for him and she considered that maybe she did do exactly what she was meant to do. 

Another client shared with me that when he was out running an errand, he witnessed a dog getting hit by a car. He immediately pulled over and rushed to see if he could help. A young boy had placed the dog on the open tailed gate of his truck and at first the dog looked lifeless, but then he saw him moving. He had recently become a Reiki practitioner, and while he hadn't worked on anyone but his own animals, he decided to try giving the dog Reiki. He said the scene was chaotic . . . then he observed a young girl, the dog's guardian, came out of the house. My client quickly assessed that it was her brother who had picked the dog up and placed him on the tailgate. Then the driver of the car who hit the dog returned, apologizing profusely for what had happened. My client told me that the brother appeared to be in shock. He kept wringing his hands and running his hands through his hair, unable to do anything else. His sister was on her cell phone frantically trying to find an emergency vet that was opened on a Sunday. 

My client continued to give the dog Reiki while he assessed the situation. He didn't mention that was what she was doing. It probably just appeared that she was making sure the dog didn't fall off the tailgate. His mind was calm and he was thinking through next steps. He thought that if they were going to transport the dog to an emergency vet, they would need to try to keep the dog as still as possible. He asked the boy if they had a pet carrier, he said no. He asked if he had a box they could put the dog in and he said no. She could see how helpless he felt so she suggested he get a towel or a blanket that they could wrap around him. He dutifully went to get a blanket and he seemed relieved to have something to do. My client admitted he was surprised at how calm he remained through the whole thing, as he helped them sort through their next steps, never once getting flustered.

He helped them get themselves and the dog into the car and they left to find the emergency clinic. Later that day, she went back by their house to see how the dog was. They told her that he died from massive internal bleeding. He felt very sad and like my other client, she wondered why she had come upon the scene when he felt he hadn't really helped. He wondered why he had felt inspired to give the dog Reiki, when it didn't help save the dog's life. He wondered what the purpose of his being there was, when in his mind, her presence hadn't made a difference. 

I could sense right away that his purpose was to be a calm and loving presence, not just for the dog, but for the humans as well. I could feel how his presence helped the brother and sister stay calm and how his gentle guidance helped them tremendously when they were feeling so afraid and overwhelmed. I told him that Reiki can bring an animal great peace, which was probably exactly what the little dog needed at that time. I could also see how his presence helped everyone, even the man who had hit the dog, since he was able to corroborate his account of what happened and probably put his mind at ease. 

He was in the right place at the right time to help all of them in ways he hadn't realized he helped them. As with my other client, his gift was being able to share his love and support at a time when it was really needed. 

Another client of mine told me a story once about witnessing a cat that had been hit by a car while she was out jogging. Without even thinking she immediately ran over to the scene and noticed that everyone seemed to be in shock. The lady driving the car who had immediately pulled over was crying but also unable to do anything but mumble something about the cat seeming to come out of nowhere. There were multiple other witnesses standing around plus people who had come out of neighboring houses to see what was going on. As she recounted the experience, she mentioned that it seemed like everyone was paralyzed / frozen. She said "Does anyone know whose cat this is?" A couple people slowly nodded by didn't move. 

She said that it was like someone took over her body and she began giving people "assignments" . . . directing people. She asked the "head nodders" to go to the guardian's house and see if she was home, she asked the lady who had hit the cat to start writing her information down so it could be given to the cat's guardian, she asked who had a box that was big enough to transport the cat to the emergency vet, etc. One by one, she assigned people a task. They all seemed relieved that someone had "taken charge" and gave them a way to provide help in that moment. When the guardian came out of the house, she was understandably extremely upset. My client didn't think she would be able to drive to the emergency vet so she said "Who can drive her?" and immediately one of the neighbors raised their hand. Fortunately in this case, the cat's life was saved.

I know these are dramatic examples and the first two resulted in death so I hope my tender hearted readers aren't too upset by this. I share this because I think it is important for us to remember that our reason for being where we are at any given moment may not be obvious right away or may not result in the outcome we were hoping for but I trust that there is usually a higher purpose for why we end up being where we are. Maybe at some point in the future we will understand what that purpose was but even if we don't, it can be helpful to consider that there was a reason.