Have you ever ridden an elephant?

 

If not, pretend for a moment you are doing just that. You are sitting about 10 feet above the ground, on the top of an elephant. The elephant is not huge, only about 3,000 pounds. Regardless, when you compare your sizes; that means: the elephant is big and you are small. On average, elephants weigh about 40 times as much as people.

 

So, here you are sitting on top of the biggest creature on land. It has its head down and it is eating some grass. You say giddee up in an effort to cause the elephant to move ahead on the path. The elephant keeps eating the grass. You say giddee up a little louder. The elephant keeps eating the grass. You really raise your voice and holler out giddee up. The elephant keeps eating the grass. You really don’t like to hit animals…so you are tentative about using the switch you were given. But, after a few more hollers you decide to give the elephant a gentle tap with the switch. You yell giddee up and at the same time you swat the elephant with the switch. The elephant keeps eating the grass. You keep doing that routine for a while…all to no avail. The elephant just keeps on eating the grass. You finally give up and turn your mind to thinking, how can I get off this elephant? It’s a long way down to the ground. As you are giving that some thought you notice, out of the corner of your eye, a little movement at the side of the path. You turn your head to focus on it…a little grey mouse. Isn’t that cute, a mouse…way out here in the middle of nowhere. Before that thought has time the settle the earth begins to shake. No wait, it isn’t the earth, it’s the elephant. Then there’s this deafening trumpet sound. Its sound bangs into your ears at the same time the head and trunk of the elephant stretch so far back the trunk conks you square in the forehead. It delivers such a wallop that you end up falling off the elephant and crashing down on the grassy path below. While that’s happening the elephant is running full speed ahead. Through your dizzy fog, you marvel at it…who would have thought an elephant could run so fast.

 

People behave like Riders on Elephants on Paths.

 

That’s a metaphor created by Dr. Jonathan Haidt.

• The Rider represents our Logical side.
• The Elephant represents our Emotional side.
• The Paths represents the Situations we face.

As the story above illustrates:

• The Rider has little control over the Elephant…like our Logic has little control over our Emotions
• Situations play a huge role in Elephants behaviour…as do Emotions in people’s behaviour