As a small child, I loved going to the circus with my dad. It was Saturday and we stood in line in front of the animal tents, waiting to buy a ticket. I noticed the elephants were right in front of us. I always loved elephants and have been fascinated by stories of their wisdom, memory and strength. That particular day, all the elephants were tied up to a single stake in the ground.

I asked my dad "Why don't the elephants escape?" He smiled and looked at me with his kind, gentle eyes and said "They can't, they are tied up. And besides, where would they go? They have food and water, shelter and friendship here at the circus." He seemed satisfied with his answer but it left me troubled.

I then asked "With one single tug they could pull up that stake in the ground and just walk away. Why don't they do that?" I said considering how that elephant would be much more fun to take home than a turtle, my usual circus take-away.

"They can't, son. They don't know how strong they are. They think they are tied down and believe they are trapped by that little rope."

I shut up and stood there, imagining what I would do if I were the elephant. I wondered how to tell the elephant how strong and powerful he really was. I watched with sadness as the elephant just did what the trainer wanted and did not have any elephant fun. I fantasized about what I would do if I were the elephant and knew how powerful I was.

The Elephant's Dilemma

I have been thinking about that elephant most of my life. I would never want to be so powerful yet so trapped.

This is the elephant's dilemma: Strong and powerful but not knowing it, the elephant is trapped by an illusion of confinement in an imaginary cage.

Once, they were held by unbreakable chains until they learned they couldn't get free. Then weaker ropes were substituted for the chains, but the elephants had already given up on breaking free. Now, just a thin cord tied loosely to one foot and connected to a small stake in the ground is all it takes to "trap" the elephant into believing he's still being held tight with chains that no longer exist.