When the elephant is still a calf, it is bound to a mast just by a rope. The baby
elephant struggles to escape from confinement but as the rope is thick enough
to match its strength, it can’t. Noticing that its efforts are in vain,
gradually this calf registers in its mind that it cannot tear away the rope and
eventually stops trying to escape.
Years pass and when the calf grows to become a massive elephant, it is still bound by the same rope – however the rope itself is now “tiny” when compared to the “huge” animal. The rope is no match for the animal’s immense strength.
Alas! But the elephant does not try to escape. Why? Because the elephant’s mind has been tuned to make it think & believe that it cannot tear the rope into pieces. Its mind has been deceived.
Years pass and when the calf grows to become a massive elephant, it is still bound by the same rope – however the rope itself is now “tiny” when compared to the “huge” animal. The rope is no match for the animal’s immense strength.
Alas! But the elephant does not try to escape. Why? Because the elephant’s mind has been tuned to make it think & believe that it cannot tear the rope into pieces. Its mind has been deceived.
The same goes
with us humans too. During various stages of growth, we become exposed to lot
of hindrances, difficulties. Based on the environment, we make a conscious
effort to arrive at a just judgment.
Most of these situations etch seemingly indelible marks in our mind. Unfortunately there is no straightforward way to selectively erase these blots. At later stages, we get entrapped into these historical conditions and lose clarity in current happenings.
We lose our freedom of thoughts; we end up believing that there is no other way out. Exactly like the baby elephant we accept that the bond cannot be broken.
Most of these situations etch seemingly indelible marks in our mind. Unfortunately there is no straightforward way to selectively erase these blots. At later stages, we get entrapped into these historical conditions and lose clarity in current happenings.
We lose our freedom of thoughts; we end up believing that there is no other way out. Exactly like the baby elephant we accept that the bond cannot be broken.
It is
important for us to be always conscious and take action accordingly. Each of
the marks in our mind may have their own story to tell. But instead of blindly
going with history, we should at least make an attempt to challenge ourselves
considering the current circumstances. Keep in mind the 3 tips below to avoid mind’s
beguiling.
- Write down the problem on a piece of paper and list various possibilities to address it
- Evaluate each of the possibilities with an unbiased mind. Discuss with a friend or a counselor, if you consider it helpful
- If a historical scenario pitches in, identify the differences in environment between the previous and present situation
I believe
that a little conscious attempt is sufficient to unveil the paths to tackle our
problem.
Anything
interesting that you adopt in your life?
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