Once upon a time, there lived six blind men who came across an elephant for the first time in their lives. They each touched different parts of the Elephant and came to these conclusions –
The first man touched the side of the elephant and said “An elephant is smooth and solid like a wall”.
The second man touched the trunk of the elephant and said – “An elephant is like a giant snake”.
The third man touched the Elephant’s tusk and said – “An elephant is sharp and deadly like a spear”.
The fourth man touched the elephant’s legs and said – “An elephant is like a tree”.
The fifth man touched the elephant’s ear and said – “An elephant is like a fan”.
The sixth man touched the elephant’s tail and said – “An elephant is like a rope”.
They argued on about the elephant that they each experienced; believing that their personal experience was all there is to an elephant. The argument then came to blows and the six men parted their ways. They were friends no more.
This is a retelling of an old Buddhist parable. It emphasizes the importance of perspectives; about how our perception is influenced by our perspective. Six people observing the same subject reached six very different understanding of the subject. The difference between them being that they each had six different vantage points when they observed the subject.
The Importance of Perspectives
Our experiences in life are governed by a combination of four steps and processes –
- The Perspective: We witness or observe a subject from our unique perspective.
- The Perception: Our unique perspective results in a unique understanding of the subject.
- The Emotion: Our unique understanding evokes unique emotions towards the subject.
- Actions and Reactions: Those emotions, regulated by their intensities, drive our actions and reactions.
Perspectives are the foundation of our experiences. Our perception depends on the quality of our perspectives. The emotions evoked by our perceptions and the actions and reactions driven by those emotions, together, regulate the quality of our lives.
Each of the six blind men in the story experienced the elephant from their own unique perspective. Hence, each reached unique conclusions on what is an elephant. The extreme faith in the quality of their individual perspectives and the failure to share and empathize with each others perspectives, led to a conflict between them. The quality of their relationships was permanently altered due to the conflict.
While the story about the six blind men is anecdotal, it applies to our lives as well. Being able to accommodate the perspective of our partners, friends, colleagues, relatives etc., and empathizing with those perspectives, will lead to a more peaceful and fulfilling life.
To be continued…
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