Mark and his family were visiting a local zoo. As they passed the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge animals were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. Mark could see 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 the elephants made no attempt to get away. “When the elephants are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them,” the trainer said. “At that age, it was enough to hold them. As they grew up, they were conditioned to believe they cannot get away. They still believe the rope can hold them, so they never try to break free.”
Mark was amazed. These animals could break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they didn’t try. The elephants were stuck right where they were.
How many of us go through life believing that we cannot do something, only because we failed at it before?
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Very true with many people , too afraid to try !
I know the feeling, but now I know my mind can overcome physical, verbal, and mental. Don’t let anyone control. You are beautiful and need no one to beat you down. Stand up, walk away and don’t look back. But don’t forget no matter the pain it will keep you in check. God Speed Y’all hugsss
What a great way to drive it home that we are our own worse enemies at times. S-T-R-E-T-C-H
We try to condition you when you are young to always be safe. But all parents should not rely on old rules because as you mature you need to be in a position to make choices and good ones. The rope on your ankle should be removed when you start to understand that it is the choices you make that bind you in life. But even if you make poor choices you can move on and with help learning about your
self you can overcome the choices that were bad and make better choices and be the person you want to be. At your age you should be making most of your choices but also respecting the people who love you even if they don’t do the best job because of their ropes.
I am thinking about how the young must have pulled and twisted and tested that rope. At some point that limitation became a part of them. Then growing larger and stronger and being able to break the rope, but never testing it reminds me how placid we come with cruelty in the world.
Thanks for all of the great comments!