The Elephant and the Rope
I was recently reminded of this folktale from India. In some ways it relates to weight loss.
The Elephant and the Rope (briefly)
As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.
He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them to a stake 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.”
The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.
Essentially, the elephant is trapped and tied, not in the physical sense of the word, but rather in its own mind, due to bad past experiences. Had the elephant tried to do it again - he would be free.
I think, for some folks, weight loss is the same. Many of us feel that we have failed so many times - why should we try so hard again. That we will ultimately have the same result. BUT - we should throw away those past experiences and give our best to our plans. We do not have to be like the elephant in this story who can’t try because he knows he will fail. We must persevere.
(It's also sad that elephants are tied up anyway... but, that isn't the issue in this folktale from long ago.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
