The Prince and the Blind Gurus

The following is an ancient tale from India.  It was translated into English the first time by Rudyard Kipling.  We have taken certain liberties in our telling of this fine tale.

Once upon a time, a wise Rajah (Indian Prince) wanted to conduct an experiment in human nature.  He put on a contest to see who was the wisest guru in all the land.  Many gurus came to the palace to participate in the contest.  To be recognized by the prince as the wisest guru would mean great success.  The wisest guru would be considered superior to all the lesser gurus and could charge much more money for giving advice.

Quite unexpectedly, after many tests of wisdom, all of the six finalists turned out to be blind.  For the last test, the prince decided to introduce each of the remaining gurus to a newly discovered creature.  The gurus were asked to describe the true essence of the creature.

One at a time, the gurus were allowed to experience the creature.  Then the prince brought them all together to discuss their findings and decide the outcome of the contest.  The first guru described the creature as being like a wall.  The second guru defined the creature as being like a spear.  Then the third guru boldly stated that they were both incorrect because he was certain that this creature was a large powerful snake.  The fourth guru adamantly argued that they were all wrong, as she knew what she knew; the creature was like a fan.  "You're all crazy!" stated the fifth guru, "Anyone can tell that the creature isn't even a creature at all.  In fact the, 'creature' is actually a tree with a unique type of bark."  Finally the sixth guru made his case to be the wisest of all.  He called them all fools, after all anyone should be able to tell that the creature was like strong and lively rope.

A very bitter argument broke out, for they all were certain they were correct.  They were all quite confident in their conclusions.  Each of them knew what they knew.  After much name-calling and bitter debate, the Rajah stepped in and ended the contest.  This is what he said:

"All of you are correct, yet all of you are profoundly mistaken.  Your egos have gotten the best of you.  Had you opened your minds, put your egos aside and worked together, you would have been able to understand the true essence of the creature.  Each of you described only the one piece of the creature you personally experienced.  Had you applied the principle of interdependence, you would have learned that an elephant is greater than the sum of its parts."

Only with a holistic view is it possible to understand the true essence of someone or something.  Collaboration, communication and humility go a long way towards understanding at a profound level.

We often meet people surrounded by well-intentioned gurus (advisors) who do not understand the true essence of the total client.  They do not see the whole elephant.  They only see the piece of the elephant tied to their own business model or revenue source.

Why an Elephant?

During a break at a training conference, Bruce Wright was asked, "Why do you use an elephant in your story?  Couldn't you use a giraffe, or a zebra?"�  What follows is Bruce's dialogue with this inquisitive gentleman.  In response, Bruce pointed out that he didn't create the story of the prince and the blind gurus.  Then went on to say,"I don't know why the author chose an elephant over any other creature."�

This rather persistent fellow would not accept my answer.  He stated, "If you're going to tell the story with an elephant, you ought to know why it is an elephant instead of some other animal."

At that point, I decided not to be frustrated by this fellow and see if I could explain why an elephant instead of some other animal.  This is what transpired as the solution flowed into my mind.

I told this fellow (and the growing crowd around us), "I think I can help you understand why it's an elephant, but you need to answer a couple of questions first.  Is that alright?"�  He responded,"Sure, why not?"�  My first question was this, "What animal is the king of the jungle?" His answer, "That's easy, it's the lion."�  I asked him, "Are you sure about that?"�  He responded,"Yes, I am."�

I went on to describe some lesser known, but important things to consider.

Since the story originated in ancient India, it was likely that the author was only familiar with the animals in India rather than Africa or elsewhere.

The king of the jungle in India is the elephant.  There are no lions in India.

Even in Africa, it could easily be argued that the elephant is king of the jungle because

Every day, lions and hyenas do battle for supremacy and survival.  Sometimes the lions win, other times the hyenas win.  They are mortal enemies.

Other than man, nothing specifically hunts full-grown elephants.  Only the young and infirm are vulnerable to predation.  Even then, as long as the elephant remains with the herd, they are quite well protected.  The combination of size, power and the interdependence of the herd protect and promote the health and well being of elephants.

Simply stated, the elephant is the most powerful, majestic animal in the jungle.  Only man is superior to or dominant over the elephant.  In fact, man has been able to tame, train and convert these majestic creatures into beasts of burden.  Something that man does to his own kind when left unchecked.

So I asked this fellow, "Now do you understand why an elephant and not a giraffe?"�  He responded, "I'll have to think about it."

What if every human being saw himself or herself as a powerful majestic being?  What if we saw each other, even every human as a powerful majestic being?  It's unlikely that we can convince you or anybody else to see yourself and others that way.  But we can introduce you to a different state of mind and being.  Now you get to choose whether or not to perceive yourself and others as powerful majestic beings.  We refer to this mindset and behavioral pattern as thinking like and being "an elephant".  In a very real and profound way, Balanced Success International is in the business of elephant development.

Are you an elephant yet?  If yes, where do you go from here?  If you aren't there yet, from where are you starting?  What do you need to do next?  When will you begin your adventure towards becoming an elephant?  What or who is restraining you from living the most powerful majestic life you dare to imagine?

Balanced Success International is here to help you make this amazing transformation.