[An email fwd via Naveen]
As I was passing the elephants, I 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.
I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.
“Well,” he said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them 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.”
I 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.
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?
Truly inspiring! :-)
Nice question! This strikes the mind to remember on how many occasions we’ve believed that we cannot do something because once it has not happened.
But I believe that one day “All of us would succeed one day or other in breaking away the rope” and we would succeed :)
-Veda
Vikas:
Yeah! Agree totally!
Veda:
Hope is what keeps us alive! Rope is what keeps us tied! ;)
Excellent line of thought. The problem for us humans is to first find out what is that rope that is grappling us. I think there are a hundred ropes. But I want to break free
Sudhu:
Meditation and Pranayama help you find out that those ropes never existed. Breaking free can happen only if we are not free. Our natural position is free.