PARABLES

I

A traveler was caught in a storm and took shelter in a cave. In the darkness of the cave he saw a snake. He froze fearing for his life and remained motionless the rest of the night. In the morning light the man saw that it was actually a rope.

II

A man was rowing his boat up a river when he saw another boat coming downriver very fast. He screamed at the other boat, “Move to the side. I have the right of way.” He kept screaming but the other boat kept coming downstream. The man grew very angry. Finally, as the boats were about to collide, the man decided to save himself and moved his boat to the side. As the other boat passed he realized that there was nobody in it. The boat had become loose from its dock and floated downstream.

III

There was a man who had a son that he loved more than anything in the world. One day he left his village to work. While he was gone, bandits attacked the village. They burnt many of the buildings and killed many of the villagers. They captured the man’s son and led him off. When the man returned to his village and saw what had happened he was inconsolable. He sifted through the ashes until he found the body of a child which he thought was his son. He gave that body a proper funeral and cremation and carried a little of the ashes in a special locket around his neck. Meanwhile his son became a slave of the bandits. After many years he was able to escape and return to his village. He came to his father’s house and knocked on the door. His father asked, “Who are you?”
“I am your son” his son tried to explain. “No” said the father, “my son died many years ago.” And he turned the boy away.

IV

A brother woke up before his sister. He decided to wake her up so that she did not miss breakfast. He said, “Sister, it is time to wake up.” She responded rudely, “Get out of here I am sleeping!” She was only rude because she was still partly asleep and did not know what she was saying. Her brother understood this and did not get upset, because he was fully awake.

V

In a small village there once lived six blind brothers. One day they heard that there was an elephant in the village and they all rushed off to meet it. They had all heard about these magnificent creatures, but they did not know what they looked like. When they found the elephant they all gathered around it.

One brother felt the trunk and said, "The elephant is curvy, like a snake."

Another brother felt the tusk and said, "The elephant is sharp, like a sword."

Another brother felt the ear and said, "The elephant is round, like a fan."

Another brother felt the side and said, "The elephant is flat, like a wall."

Another brother felt the leg and said, "The elephant is tall, like a pillar."

And the last brother felt the tail and said. "The elephant is thin, like a branch."

All the way home they argued about what the elephant was. When they arrived home their father heard them arguing and explained, "You are all right. the elephant is all of those things and more. Each of you learned about a different part of the elephant according to each of your perspectives."