If six blindfolded people are asked to determine what an elephant looks like by feeling different parts of the elephant's body, they will each come up with something different. The one who feels a leg will think the elephant is like a tree; the one who feels the tail will think the elephant is like a rope; the one who feels the trunk will think the elephant is like a snake; the one who feels the ear will think the elephant is like a fan; the one who feels the belly will think the elephant is like a wall; and the one who feels the tusk will think the elephant is like a spear.
The point is, they are all correct. The reason everyone explains the elephant differently is because each one touches a different part of the elephant. The elephant has all those different parts, and together those explanations begin to give a picture of what the whole elephant looks like. In fact, the elephant is more than the sum of its parts.
In the Sufi version of this ancient parable, the elephant is in a dark room. The 13th century Sufi poet and teacher Rumi tell us:
"If each had a candle and they went in together, the differences would disappear."
The point is, they are all correct. The reason everyone explains the elephant differently is because each one touches a different part of the elephant. The elephant has all those different parts, and together those explanations begin to give a picture of what the whole elephant looks like. In fact, the elephant is more than the sum of its parts.
In the Sufi version of this ancient parable, the elephant is in a dark room. The 13th century Sufi poet and teacher Rumi tell us:
"If each had a candle and they went in together, the differences would disappear."
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