Maverick's World

The Elephant Analogy

In the jungle, the Elephant merrily goes about it way. It does not harm other creatures despite the fact that it has enormous size and strength. It is a vegetarian that largely lives absorbed in itself and its search for food and I suppose its search for enlightenment or perhaps where to take its next mud bath. Honestly I don't really know what goes on in an Elephant's mind, I have never had the change to sit and talk to one.... but anyway the point is that the Elephant does its own thing and doesn't seem to be constantly seeking to change the jungle order or harass others.

The only time that an Elephant does something terrible is when someone tries to get between the Elephant and what it wants. Then too it helps to bear in mind that the Elephant isn't doing anything substantially different from what another animal would do in such a situation - only given the Elephant's sheer size, even the slightest shift in its mood results in a devastating impact on the fools who get in its way. A most undesirable outcome from the perspective of the jungle order is if there is an Elephant on the rampage. (Actually in a place called Tezpur angry elephants have been known to play a most undersirable and economically damaging game of "tip-a-mig" or even pick fights with entire rows of innocently parked jaguars)

There are some who value an Elephant for its tusks or simply as trophies for their hunting lodges, and they come up with elaborate hunting strategies to shoot an Elephant. Some people want to catch one and tame one, to make it do all manner of things. This really isn't a smart thing to do in the wild... you are better off messing about with those bred in captivity.
It is all fine to say you have an Elephant gun, most people don't know what it is like to actually load an Elephant gun, so if you miss... a straight fight between you and an Elephant that really doesn't like you... is not something you want. If you have missed... run.. run as fast as you can... and hope the Elephant doesn't get you. Honestly, you might do well to turn the gun on yourself at that point and yes then too... don't miss.

In the jungle of international relations, India is the Elephant. India is foraging for energy, in the jungle when an Elephant is looking for food, you really don't want to get in its way.

posted by maverick @ 6:44 AM