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? For quick reference, here it is:
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