The Mouse & The Elephant - a story about faith
….and then the mouse said to the elephant,
“…but why must you be afraid, for surely you can kill me with just one step?” and the elephant replied,
“I am so large and my pride is so great as I am, I can see for miles and miles and I can smell a tiger when he’s near and as I am so great as great I think I am, but uou little mouse, so small that you are, your greatness I just cannot see. You are nothing like me little mouse and if I’m to look closely I see you scurry about in an underworld that I cannot see and all the miles and miles that I’ve known this world is unknown to me. So you see little mouse, it is what I don’t know that I fear so much and that is what you are to me.” The little mouse nodded his head as he understood what the elephant was talking about and then he said,
“Yes elephant, I too am scared of the unknown that’s why I scurry about from one hiding place to another and I can no way understand the miles and miles of country that you have seen. The depths of this undergrowth and as small as I am is all that I know, but elephant, if I was to tell you all about the things I know then maybe you would have no reason to fear me. So surely should you tell me all that you know I would have no reason to fear you!” The elephant stopped and thought for moment and then he asked the mouse,
“But you are so different, why should I trust what you say? You might want to hurt me.” Then the mouse replied,
“yes but I should fear the same as how can I know that you wont hurt me, as you are different also. So why don’t we agree that we do both fear each other and then learn to trust each other?” The elephant was happy with that and so he said,
“Why sure mouse, would you like to be my friend? And the mouse said,
“Why sure elephant, I’d love to!” and then they told each other all the things they knew about.
“…but why must you be afraid, for surely you can kill me with just one step?” and the elephant replied,
“I am so large and my pride is so great as I am, I can see for miles and miles and I can smell a tiger when he’s near and as I am so great as great I think I am, but uou little mouse, so small that you are, your greatness I just cannot see. You are nothing like me little mouse and if I’m to look closely I see you scurry about in an underworld that I cannot see and all the miles and miles that I’ve known this world is unknown to me. So you see little mouse, it is what I don’t know that I fear so much and that is what you are to me.” The little mouse nodded his head as he understood what the elephant was talking about and then he said,
“Yes elephant, I too am scared of the unknown that’s why I scurry about from one hiding place to another and I can no way understand the miles and miles of country that you have seen. The depths of this undergrowth and as small as I am is all that I know, but elephant, if I was to tell you all about the things I know then maybe you would have no reason to fear me. So surely should you tell me all that you know I would have no reason to fear you!” The elephant stopped and thought for moment and then he asked the mouse,
“But you are so different, why should I trust what you say? You might want to hurt me.” Then the mouse replied,
“yes but I should fear the same as how can I know that you wont hurt me, as you are different also. So why don’t we agree that we do both fear each other and then learn to trust each other?” The elephant was happy with that and so he said,
“Why sure mouse, would you like to be my friend? And the mouse said,
“Why sure elephant, I’d love to!” and then they told each other all the things they knew about.