The Chained Elephant

Circus elephant

This story is a parable that probably dates back to Biblical times.

By Harvey Tobkes

A trainer in a traveling circus was given a baby elephant who he named Bertha, and during the day he taught the animal many clever tricks to amuse an audience. At night he chained her to a stake. It was not a heavy chain, as she was only a baby elephant.

Years later after she was full grown and a crowd favorite, the trainer still used the same chain to tether Bertha at night.

One day, a boy asked the trainer, “How come your elephant doesn’t break that weak chain and run away?” The trainer explained, “Elephants have a brain that excels in memory and Big Bertha remembers how the chain held her fast when she was a baby; she has stored that remembrance in her brain and will not have any thoughts about attempting to test the chain now.

So, the question and the moral is…are you letting a weak chain keep you tied down and do you not want to break away and be free.

Don’t let childhood memories keep you chained to the past!

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Published:
10.07.08 6:28
Category:
Author: Harvey Tobkes, Psychology, Story with a moral