The Blind Men and the Elephant

Once upon a time, in a distant land, lived six blind men. They were very good friends and spent their days talking about the world. They had heard many stories about elephants—how big and strong they were—but since they were blind, none of them had ever “seen” one.

One day, a merchant rode an elephant into their village. “An elephant! An elephant is here!” shouted the children. The six friends were excited. “Let us go and find out what an elephant is really like,” said the first man. “We can touch it and feel its shape.”

They walked to the village square and successfully asked the merchant if they could touch his beast. The merchant agreed kindly. “Be gentle,” he said.

The first man reached out and touched the elephant’s sturdy leg. It felt rough and round. “Ah!” he said confidently. “I know what an elephant is. It is exactly like a pillar! It is round and holds up the roof.”

The second man was standing near the back. He grabbed the elephant’s thin, swishing tail. “No, no!” he cried. “You are wrong. Calculated pillar? Impossible. An elephant is like a rope! It is thin and swings back and forth.”

The third man was standing near the front. He reached out and touched the long, squirming trunk. “Both of you are mistaken,” he laughed. “A rope? A pillar? No! It is long and curves like a snake. An elephant is like a thick tree branch or a snake!”

The fourth man reached up and felt the elephant’s big, flapping ear. It moved in the breeze. “You are all dreaming,” he declared. “This animal is flat and wide. It moves the air. An elephant is very obviously like a huge hand fan!”

The fifth man was tall. He reached out and touched the side of the elephant’s massive belly. “Fan? Snake? Rope?” he scoffed. “Ridiculous. This beast is flat, solid, and huge. An elephant is clearly like a wall!”

The sixth man was holding the smooth, hard tusk. “I think you are all mad,” he whispered. “This thing is hard, cold, and smooth. It is sharp at the end. An elephant is like a spear or a pipe!”

The six men began to argue. “It’s a wall!” “It’s a fan!” “It’s a rope!” Their voices got louder and louder. They were getting angry because each one was sure he was right.

The merchant, who was watching them, laughed gently. “Quiet, my friends,” he said. “Who is right?” they asked him. “Tell us the truth!”

“You are all right,” said the merchant. “And you are all wrong.” “How can that be?” asked the men.

“Each of you is touching only one part of the elephant,” explained the merchant. “The one who touched the leg found a pillar. The one who touched the belly found a wall. But the whole elephant is much bigger than any of those parts. It is a pillar AND a wall AND a fan AND a rope. You must put all your experiences together to see the whole truth.”

The blind men paused. They realized their mistake. They apologized to each other and sat down to share their descriptions. By listing to each other, they finally understood what an elephant really was.

Moral of the Story: Truth has many sides. We must listen to others to understand the whole picture.

Moral of the Story: It is important to look at the whole picture. Everyone sees things differently.