Six Blind Men

Once upon a time, there were 6 blind men who lived in a village. One of the villagers told these six blind men that there was an elephant in the village today. When these blind men heard this, out of curiosity, they wanted to experience it by touching it as they had no idea what an elephant was. ???

When the first person, touched the side of the elephant, he said, “It is like a wall.” 

The second person ran his hand along the tusk of the elephant, he told everyone that it is strong and smooth, just like a spear.

When the third person, grabbed the trunk of the elephant, he said, “It is like a snake.” 

But the fourth person experienced something different. He said, “It is like a tree” when he touched the feet of the elephant.

The fifth one touched the ear of the elephant, and it felt like a fan to him.

Lastly, when the sixth person touched the tail of the elephant, he said, “It is like a rope.”

As the elephant moved on, the six blind men sat by the roadside all day, and quarreled about him. Each believed that he knew just how the animal looked; and each called the others bad names because they did not agree with him.

"Stop shouting!" called an very angry voice. It was the village wise man, awakened from his nap by the noisy argument. "How can each of you be so certain you are right?" he asked. "The elephant is a very large animal, each of you touched only one part. Perhaps if you put the parts together, you will see the truth. Now, let me finish my nap in peace."

"He is right," said the first blind man. "To learn the truth, we must put all the parts together. Let's discuss this on the journey home."

With all that is going on in the world, it is so important for people to be open to listening and honestly learning from other’s perspectives. I know I have A LOT to learn personally, and appreciate those who have been willing to share with me. We all have different experiences. Therefore, whenever we find ourselves at odds with others, we should be humble and recognize our limitations of knowledge, our need for other perspectives, and trust that others may grasp truths that we do not.