The Blind and the Elephant
Objectives:
- - Recognize that people may have different perspectives shaped by their own subjective experiences.<br />
- - Understand that even when experiences are similar, individuals can interpret them in different — yet equally valid — ways.<br />
- - Identify how differing perspectives can lead to conflict in communication or relationships.<br />
- - Develop the ability to empathize with others by exploring their experiences and points of view.<br />
- - Practice strategies to reduce or prevent conflict by actively listening and seeking understanding.
Preparation: We set up your object without the participants seeing it.
Tools needed: - A large, expressive object (for example, a statue of an animal or something with interesting shapes and textures).
- One blindfold for each participant.
Description
All participants are blindfolded. It’s important that they can’t see anything at all. One by one, the facilitator gently leads each person to the object. Each participant is allowed to touch only a small part of the object — not the whole thing. They can move their hands just a little bit. After touching the object, the participant is led out of the room (still blindfolded) so the next person can have their turn. After everyone has had a chance to touch the object, they gather together (blindfolds off) to discuss what they think the object is. The facilitator tells them they all touched the same object, but doesn’t reveal that each person touched only part of it. Let the discussion unfold. See how they share their ideas and whether they can come to an agreement. Encourage everyone to express what they felt and thought.
Debriefing & Reflection Questions
After the group discussion, guide the participants through a reflection using these questions:
- Why was it easy or difficult to agree on what the object was?
- How would the experience have been different if you weren’t blindfolded?
- Was it helpful or challenging that everyone was blindfolded? Why?
- What helped you understand other people’s descriptions?
- What was the easiest part to imagine? What was the hardest?
- Did anyone feel unsure about what they had touched?
- How could you use what you learned from this activity in real-life situations?
- What helps you understand others better and communicate more clearly?
Variations
After the exercise is concluded the facilitator can read the story of “The six blind men and the
elephant”, which is about how our own perspective is only one side of the story generally.
Another easier variation of this exercise is if we just read the story and discuss the moral of the
story with the participants. However, this is not as powerful as with the object.
Once upon a time there were six blind men. They lived in a town in India. They thought they were very clever. One day an elephant came into the town. The blind men did not know what an elephant looked like but they could smell it and they
could hear it. 'What is this animal like?' they said. Each man touched a different part of the elephant.
The story of the six blind men and the elephant:
The first man touched the elephant's body. It felt hard, big and wide. 'An elephant is like a wall' he said.
The second man touched one of the elephant's tusks. It felt smooth and hard and sharp. 'An elephant is like a spear' he said.
The third man touched the elephant's trunk. It felt long and thin and wiggly. 'An elephant is like a snake' he said.
The fourth man touched on of the legs. It felt thick and rough and hard and round. 'An elephant is like a tree' he said.
The fifth man touched one of the elephant's ears. It felt thin and it moved. 'An elephant is like a fan' he said.
The sixth man touched the elephant's tail. It felt long and thin and strong. 'An elephant is like a rope' he said.
The men argued. It's like a wall! No, it isn't! It's like a spear! No it isn't! It's like a snake! They did not agree. The king had been watching and listening to the men.
'You are not very clever. You only touched part of the elephant. You did not feel the whole animal. An elephant is not like a wall or a spear or a snake, or a tree or a fan or a rope'.
The men left the town still arguing. A little girl heard them and said 'Each of you is right but you are all wrong ... but I know what you are talking about'
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Resources
Eco-facilitator Guidebook, 2017
Comments
It might be challenging to find a suitable object, and ideally, you should choose a different one for each round of the activity.
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