Which part of the elephant is it?
Good (insert time of day) Fae-ries! (It’s 10am for me… and that’s still early in my book). Today I want to talk about purpose. So… here we go!
I am an avid reader. Always have been… ask my mom, she was the one who had to take me to the library pretty much weekly as a kid so I could check out the next Babysitters Club book. Now that I am older, my diversity in books has a much better range (thankfully… I’m pretty sure my husband wouldn’t let me read Babysitters Club in bed). I have been reading a lot of really inspirational self help books lately, my top 3 being The 5 Love Languages, Girl Wash Your Face, and You Are a Badass (all are easy reads and I HIGHLY recommend). But surprisingly enough, the topic of today’s blog is brought to you by one of the Dreseden File books. If you are unfamiliar, they are set in current time Chicago, and the main character is a self deprecating, rebel with a cause type… wizard. He uses is magical powers to solve supernatural crimes in the seedy underbelly of Chicago. These books are some of my husbands favorites, so I decided to give them a read.
The current situation I’m reading is regarding his attempt to rescue The Shroud (used to cover Jesus before his resurrection) before either demons, thieves or mobsters get their hands on it. At one point, Dresden is talking with a friend (Shiro) about religion. At which point Shiro asks if he has heard of the tale of 3 Blind men and an Elephant. This is what I read next.
Shiro: “The first man felt the trunk, and claimed that an elephant was like a snake. The second man touched its leg and claimed that an elephant was like a tree. The third man touched it’s tail, and claimed that the elephant was like a slender rope.
Dresden: “Oh, I get it. All of them were right. All of them were wrong. They couldn’t get the whole picture.”
Shiro: “Precisely. I am just another blind man. I do not get the whole picture of what transpires in all places. I am blind and limited. I would be a fool to think myself wise. And so, not knowing what the universes means, I can only try to be responsible with the knowledge, the strength, and the time given to me. I must be true to my heart.”
THIS. THIS!!!! This is so powerful and important. So many of us go throughout our day, thinking only of our perspective and think ourselves wise that our viewpoint is the only one that must matter (ehem, organized religion, I’m looking at you). It is so inherently important that we try to be responsible with our lives and our choices, but keep in mind that we are only holding one part of the elephant. The best and worst part about this, the mortal coil we are all a part of, is that we can’t know for certain what the hour/day/week/year holds for us… how can we be certain of what happens after we are gone?
What I take away from this is that it is my responsibility to do the most I can every day. Make use of the time here on earth to enrich each other and make sure that my time here is not just spent self serving and boxed in my narrow world view. You will never get to touch all parts of the elephant, but the more you try to move yourself from the trunk, to the head, to the shoulders… You will start to get the whole picture. But the point is to enjoy that journey! You’ve got to WANT to know the story of the stranger that asked you for directions on the street, or to be understanding to that mother who just can’t get her baby to stop crying in public, or to not judge the girl in line ahead of you at the grocery store for whatever it is you might judge her for. So go out, use this time given to you and do something awesome with it!
Love, Jordanne
PS Reminder that in less than 2 weeks is my charity event at InBound Brew Co on July 14th from 12-8pm! Come win some stuff and support those in need!
PPS. My song of the week is From Now On, from The Greatest Showman! Such an inspirational song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW2FUY3N-n0
