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You've known this old parable ever since childhood: Once upon a time, four famous sages set out in search of Truth. They wandered the world, seeking a deeper and deeper understanding. The path was often difficult, but they helped each other along, and felt optimistic they would eventually find Truth. The search for Truth often leads into some pretty foggy neighborhoods, and one day, stumbling around in a particularly blinding fog, they banged smack into an elephant. (They thought they were in India, but they had actually blundered into the Denver Zoo.) They felt sure they had finally found Truth. The first sage happened to have bumped into one of the elephant’s front legs. “Well,” he mused philosophically, “I’m not sure what we have here, but it’s obviously some sort of building, with a long row of majestic columns. I don’t doubt there are dozens of stately chambers within.” Another sage, a few feet away, had touched the tip of a tusk. “Nonsense,” she scoffed, “this is an armory, bristling with weapons. I’m holding a spear of the most perfect and exquisite sharpness.” A third, whom the elephant had momentarily mistaken for a bale of hay, wheezed at them both, “It’s a snake, you fools, and it nearly had me in its grasp.” The fourth sage, from her position at the tail of the elephant, called through the fog, “I’ve found a rope, but it’s stuck. Quit squabbling and come help me reel it in.” The sages worked towards each other’s voices, and started arguing about what they had found. The elephant didn’t object to being investigated, but it didn’t much care what the sages thought of it. While they talked, it wandered off to see what had become of the feeding crew. |
