The Elephant Rope is a well known parable with many different versions told all around the world. Because of its eye-opening message, I decided to re-tell the story and remind everyone (including myself) on what we can learn from this simple parable.
The Elephant Rope: a re-telling of the parable:
A young man was strolling through a quiet town on a bright, sunlit day. As he walked through a local elephant camp, the man noticed how the captive elephants were not trapped in large cages, but rather, were simply tied to a flimsy rope. The man frowned as he observed. Standing at touring heights, the elephants were built with sturdy muscles. “Couldn’t the elephants easily break the rope to escape the camp?” the man whispered to himself. How could such a small piece of rope encage such powerful creatures?Â
Baffled and confused, the young man inquired a nearby trainer. “How do your elephants not escape?” he asked.
The trainer replied, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”
What to Take Away:
The Elephant Rope shares a powerful message about how people often refrain from achieving things due to limitations that exist only in their minds. It often seems like we each have our very own rope that ties our legs together, preventing us from growth and achievement. These mental ropes often come from our own past experiences with failure, or it can sometimes come from what society tells us we are not capable of achieving. It is important to let go of our doubts sometimes, as they are often the only thing preventing us from success.
As you may reflect upon the Elephant Rope story, it is important to think about what ropes are tied to your own feet, preventing you from trying new things.
Featured Image/Source 1/Source 2
