I will start by retelling this short and famous parable about the Elephant and the Blindmen, adapted from the book The Elephant in the Dark. This parable speaks volumes about misconceptions and how one-sided, unverified, and faulty ideology could spread erroneous claims and beliefs.
A group of blind men learned that a strange animal, called an elephant, was brought into town, and they wanted to find out what it was like. As none of them was aware of its shape and form, they, out of curiosity, decided to investigate. So, when they got to the elephant, they groped about it from different angles. The first person whose hand landed on the trunk called it a viper, as it felt like a thick snake. Another reached out and felt the ears, and it was a huge fan. The one closest to the leg felt it and said it was a pillar. The fourth touched the side and was convinced it was a wall. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth, and like a spear. Not only do the blind men have a wrong concept of the elephant, but they also misrepresented it. None of their narratives defined the elephant.
Discover more from Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
