The Real Elephant in the Room
Published by Willem Vreeswijk / New Financial Magazine, December 2023
Elephants are fearful, destructive and menacing right? Wrong on so many levels. And this article is about re-writing this deeply flawed narrative and mis-understanding. Perhaps it is also about addressing the destructive nature of fear, and how misguided fear creates polarity and exclusiveness in so many societies in the world right now. Using my iconic elephant encounter video as an analogy, my story is one of hope, reconciliation and trans-boundary connections on so many levels.
As a wilderness guide in Africa, i spend a lot of time walking in the wild. On trail, we frequently come across lion, buffalo, giraffe, antelope, zebra, wild dog and of course, the largest walking mammal on the planet; elephant. To say that elephant are my favourite animal is perhaps the under-statement of the year! Magnificent majestic creatures, yet complete oddities with their imposing size, huge ears, tusks and trunks. They never fail to turn a head or attract a curious second or third glance.
I am beyond fascinated with their advanced intelligence and sentient habits. As for me, and in life, it is what lies beneath the surface and hidden from view that I am most curious about. What is intangible or normally not noticed. For within this space, deep connection, discovery and inspiration may emerge. A discovery, it should be said, not only about elephants, but one of the self. This, in essence, is what my article is about; discovering your inner-elephant.
Firstly, may i introduce you to an elephant?
It may perhaps come as a surprise to you to realise that they are advanced beings with complex society and behaviour. They have empathetic life-long family bonds and friendships, demonstrating loyalty and deep compassion to one another. I once saw an injured elephant who had lost his entire trunk to a poacher’s snare. A serous predicament indeed as the trunk is a vital tool in elephant society, primarily for feeding and drinking, and also for tasting, caressing, scenting and subtle communications. Needless to say he could be considered vulnerably disabled in our society. We followed until he came to a waterhole, accompanied by other elephant. I watched in wonder as an able-trunked bull sucked up a column of water in his trunk and graciously funnelled it into his injured buddy’s mouth. Appreciation and camaraderie was evident for all to see. Are these not extreme levels of intelligence and compassion? Demonstrated by an animal not normally associated with such. Furthermore, they mourn their dead and hold funeral rituals, sometimes burying or concealing the bones of fallen family members or friends. Often, they return to the site for years afterwards and solemnly stand motionless for hours on end. They communicate with a complicated vocabulary over vast distances, referring to one another by name. The list is endless and suffice to say elephant are deeply mysterious. However their behaviour is best explored out in the bush on trail, and discussed around a remote campfire!
What these behaviours do is to challenge our understanding of complexity, and suggest that the virtues of empathy, compassion, connectivity and emotional intelligence, those that we normally associate with and confine to human behaviour, are certainly not unique to us. This for me humbly inspiring. And just perhaps, in order to re-discover these virtues in our own society, we could learn from elephants. We could learn that these essential virtues are the building blocks of understanding, tolerance, inter-being and conflict resolution. The foundations of community and co-operation. Are these not in critically short supply in many of our societies around the world?
Societies we refer to as civilised.
Secondly, with this backdrop about elephants, may i share the story behind my viral video of an stirring encounter with a wild elephant bull?
Please find video at the end of the story below .......
The video portrays the moments leading up to a charge from an elephant, and for me, there are two ways to interpret the footage:
1) you can either watch the surface of the video, or
2) you can watch what is beneath it.
If you watch the surface you may perceive it as a threatening fearful situation. There is a 5 tonne potentially dangerous animal rushing menacingly toward me. It is a situation of lost control and unknown outcome. Perhaps this is what we define in society as ‘fear.’ For we like to have control in times of uncertainty, to understand the outcome and manage the process toward it in the way we believe is right. And when this process is blocked or challenged, or perhaps the sight of the outcome we wish for is blurred, fear sets in. Its essentially our inability to assert our control over an unknown outcome. Rather egotistical, but in terms of modern society, entirely logical. As an analogy, i suggest that elephants come in various disguises! At times they certainly appear as elephants, but they may also appear as other challenges. Or problems. They may appear in the form of illness, or a pandemic. Or perhaps in the form of climate change or financial crisis. Or perhaps the landscape of war. They could appear in the form of your boss, your business partners, your husband or wife, your life partner or even your children. Or, and perhaps most profoundly, YOU could be an elephant to others.
Please stop reading for a few empty moments and reflect on an instance when you acted like an elephant in order to achieve an outcome.
Humbling to admit perhaps?
Or you could watch what is beneath the surface of the video. You may then perceive it somewhat differently. During the charge i was able to consciously surrender to the situation of having no control, and in doing so, un-become the outcome. Anti-logical if you like. To be still and mirror the intent of the elephant. To be patint and trust the moment. To resist forcing anything. By being consciously available to discover the anti-logic behind the elephant, the encounter became a beautiful, humbling and inspiring moment. This is what the video is about, not my will.
What i learned about this encounter is this: it is not about the conquering of fear, it is about embracing it. Fear is normal, it is a part of us and is essential, relevant and natural. Fear in essence, keeps us alert, primed and available. There is no barrier to break through. By using the elephant as a metaphor, i gently invite you into this process of understanding fear and the context behind it. This by plugging in to the virtues of elephants: those of empathy, compassion, connectivity and emotional intelligence. For they are only visible once you look beneath the surface. For once you recognise your own reflection in the elephant, you may recognise the same virtues within yourself. This is connection. And once you touch this interbeing, you may discover that your own wholeness and well-being depends entirely on the wholeness and well-being of the natural environment around you. They cannot be separated. Every living being on the blue planet shares the same sacred space. And then to lean in to the trust that emerges from these virtues. Trust in our selves and in the ecological camaraderie that we foster in the ecosystems around us. Some may refer to this as faith.
Perhaps only then could you meaningfully understand the ‘elephant’ in front of you and how to handle it. Is it necessary to panic, turn and run? It is possible to stand your ground against an ‘elephant,’ while there are times to move out of the way and let the ‘elephant’ pass. Or perhaps avoid the ‘elephant’ entirely. Because if we accept that fear is healthy for us, then panic (or the misunderstanding of fear) may well not be. It could be destructive, dangerous, or possibly even catastrophic. This happens when we feel the need to destroy the source of our fear to be whole. As trust erodes and insecurity divides, tolerance is lost. Indeed a darkness in many parts of the world at present.
Therefore should we not change the well known mantra of let’s face our fears that is so relevant in modern leadership content to something more conected? Such as let’s embrace our fears so we can understand them? Its what the elephant encounter suggests, regardless of what form of elephant is standing before you.
What actually happened with the elephant?
I can only describe it as a beautiful meaningful connection, one of trans-boundary trust across a divide. This on a trail of inclusiveness (its about us) as opposed to exclusiveness (its about me). Perhaps accepting your inner elephant as the gateway to self discovery and ecological humility.
Skeptics say that the encounter was reckless or foolish, and i have been heavily criticised for what I did. For not acting logically. In the jungles of social media sensationalism, where opinions and keyboards collide, proper context is often a casualty. Regardless, i have dedicated my life to share the complete story of elephants, what is both on the surface and what is beneath it. As a voice for their silence. For they are in a sense ambassadors for all wild and sacred space, keystone to a greater connection. I’ve often wondered what that elephant bull would say to me if i could only understand … perhaps it would be “tell the world who we really are.”
And to lean in to this trust.
Published by Willem Vreeswijk / New Financial Magazine, December 2023
Elephants are fearful, destructive and menacing right? Wrong on so many levels. And this article is about re-writing this deeply flawed narrative and mis-understanding. Perhaps it is also about addressing the destructive nature of fear, and how misguided fear creates polarity and exclusiveness in so many societies in the world right now. Using my iconic elephant encounter video as an analogy, my story is one of hope, reconciliation and trans-boundary connections on so many levels.
As a wilderness guide in Africa, i spend a lot of time walking in the wild. On trail, we frequently come across lion, buffalo, giraffe, antelope, zebra, wild dog and of course, the largest walking mammal on the planet; elephant. To say that elephant are my favourite animal is perhaps the under-statement of the year! Magnificent majestic creatures, yet complete oddities with their imposing size, huge ears, tusks and trunks. They never fail to turn a head or attract a curious second or third glance.
I am beyond fascinated with their advanced intelligence and sentient habits. As for me, and in life, it is what lies beneath the surface and hidden from view that I am most curious about. What is intangible or normally not noticed. For within this space, deep connection, discovery and inspiration may emerge. A discovery, it should be said, not only about elephants, but one of the self. This, in essence, is what my article is about; discovering your inner-elephant.
Firstly, may i introduce you to an elephant?
It may perhaps come as a surprise to you to realise that they are advanced beings with complex society and behaviour. They have empathetic life-long family bonds and friendships, demonstrating loyalty and deep compassion to one another. I once saw an injured elephant who had lost his entire trunk to a poacher’s snare. A serous predicament indeed as the trunk is a vital tool in elephant society, primarily for feeding and drinking, and also for tasting, caressing, scenting and subtle communications. Needless to say he could be considered vulnerably disabled in our society. We followed until he came to a waterhole, accompanied by other elephant. I watched in wonder as an able-trunked bull sucked up a column of water in his trunk and graciously funnelled it into his injured buddy’s mouth. Appreciation and camaraderie was evident for all to see. Are these not extreme levels of intelligence and compassion? Demonstrated by an animal not normally associated with such. Furthermore, they mourn their dead and hold funeral rituals, sometimes burying or concealing the bones of fallen family members or friends. Often, they return to the site for years afterwards and solemnly stand motionless for hours on end. They communicate with a complicated vocabulary over vast distances, referring to one another by name. The list is endless and suffice to say elephant are deeply mysterious. However their behaviour is best explored out in the bush on trail, and discussed around a remote campfire!
What these behaviours do is to challenge our understanding of complexity, and suggest that the virtues of empathy, compassion, connectivity and emotional intelligence, those that we normally associate with and confine to human behaviour, are certainly not unique to us. This for me humbly inspiring. And just perhaps, in order to re-discover these virtues in our own society, we could learn from elephants. We could learn that these essential virtues are the building blocks of understanding, tolerance, inter-being and conflict resolution. The foundations of community and co-operation. Are these not in critically short supply in many of our societies around the world?
Societies we refer to as civilised.
Secondly, with this backdrop about elephants, may i share the story behind my viral video of an stirring encounter with a wild elephant bull?
Please find video at the end of the story below .......
The video portrays the moments leading up to a charge from an elephant, and for me, there are two ways to interpret the footage:
1) you can either watch the surface of the video, or
2) you can watch what is beneath it.
If you watch the surface you may perceive it as a threatening fearful situation. There is a 5 tonne potentially dangerous animal rushing menacingly toward me. It is a situation of lost control and unknown outcome. Perhaps this is what we define in society as ‘fear.’ For we like to have control in times of uncertainty, to understand the outcome and manage the process toward it in the way we believe is right. And when this process is blocked or challenged, or perhaps the sight of the outcome we wish for is blurred, fear sets in. Its essentially our inability to assert our control over an unknown outcome. Rather egotistical, but in terms of modern society, entirely logical. As an analogy, i suggest that elephants come in various disguises! At times they certainly appear as elephants, but they may also appear as other challenges. Or problems. They may appear in the form of illness, or a pandemic. Or perhaps in the form of climate change or financial crisis. Or perhaps the landscape of war. They could appear in the form of your boss, your business partners, your husband or wife, your life partner or even your children. Or, and perhaps most profoundly, YOU could be an elephant to others.
Please stop reading for a few empty moments and reflect on an instance when you acted like an elephant in order to achieve an outcome.
Humbling to admit perhaps?
Or you could watch what is beneath the surface of the video. You may then perceive it somewhat differently. During the charge i was able to consciously surrender to the situation of having no control, and in doing so, un-become the outcome. Anti-logical if you like. To be still and mirror the intent of the elephant. To be patint and trust the moment. To resist forcing anything. By being consciously available to discover the anti-logic behind the elephant, the encounter became a beautiful, humbling and inspiring moment. This is what the video is about, not my will.
What i learned about this encounter is this: it is not about the conquering of fear, it is about embracing it. Fear is normal, it is a part of us and is essential, relevant and natural. Fear in essence, keeps us alert, primed and available. There is no barrier to break through. By using the elephant as a metaphor, i gently invite you into this process of understanding fear and the context behind it. This by plugging in to the virtues of elephants: those of empathy, compassion, connectivity and emotional intelligence. For they are only visible once you look beneath the surface. For once you recognise your own reflection in the elephant, you may recognise the same virtues within yourself. This is connection. And once you touch this interbeing, you may discover that your own wholeness and well-being depends entirely on the wholeness and well-being of the natural environment around you. They cannot be separated. Every living being on the blue planet shares the same sacred space. And then to lean in to the trust that emerges from these virtues. Trust in our selves and in the ecological camaraderie that we foster in the ecosystems around us. Some may refer to this as faith.
Perhaps only then could you meaningfully understand the ‘elephant’ in front of you and how to handle it. Is it necessary to panic, turn and run? It is possible to stand your ground against an ‘elephant,’ while there are times to move out of the way and let the ‘elephant’ pass. Or perhaps avoid the ‘elephant’ entirely. Because if we accept that fear is healthy for us, then panic (or the misunderstanding of fear) may well not be. It could be destructive, dangerous, or possibly even catastrophic. This happens when we feel the need to destroy the source of our fear to be whole. As trust erodes and insecurity divides, tolerance is lost. Indeed a darkness in many parts of the world at present.
Therefore should we not change the well known mantra of let’s face our fears that is so relevant in modern leadership content to something more conected? Such as let’s embrace our fears so we can understand them? Its what the elephant encounter suggests, regardless of what form of elephant is standing before you.
What actually happened with the elephant?
I can only describe it as a beautiful meaningful connection, one of trans-boundary trust across a divide. This on a trail of inclusiveness (its about us) as opposed to exclusiveness (its about me). Perhaps accepting your inner elephant as the gateway to self discovery and ecological humility.
Skeptics say that the encounter was reckless or foolish, and i have been heavily criticised for what I did. For not acting logically. In the jungles of social media sensationalism, where opinions and keyboards collide, proper context is often a casualty. Regardless, i have dedicated my life to share the complete story of elephants, what is both on the surface and what is beneath it. As a voice for their silence. For they are in a sense ambassadors for all wild and sacred space, keystone to a greater connection. I’ve often wondered what that elephant bull would say to me if i could only understand … perhaps it would be “tell the world who we really are.”
And to lean in to this trust.
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