Well over 100 years ago, an American poet
put to rhyme an ancient parable.
The first verse of the poem speaks about:
"Six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind."
In the poem, each of the six travelers
takes hold of a different part of the elephant
and then describes to the others what he has discovered.
One of the men finds the elephant's leg
and describes it as being round and rough like a tree.
Another feels the tusk and describes the elephant
as a spear.
A third grabs the tail and insists that an elephant
is like a rope.
A fourth discovers the trunk and insists that the elephant
is like a large snake.
Each is describing truth.
And because his truth comes from personal experience,
each insists that he knows what he knows.
The poem concludes:
"And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!"
That someone could make a judgment
based on one aspect of truth and apply it
to the whole seems absurd or even unbelievable.
On the other hand, have we ever been guilty of the same pattern
of thought?
We have so many examples of things
that mankind once knew were true but have since proven false.
For example, in spite of one-time overwhelming
consensus, the earth isn't flat.
The stars don't revolve around the earth.
And of course, man actually can fly, even break
the sound barrier.
Often truth is rejected because it
doesn't appear to be consistent with previous experiences.
The thing about truth is that it exists beyond belief.
It is true even if nobody believes it.
We simply don't know all things.
We can't see everything.
Because we see through a glass darkly,
we have to trust the Lord, who sees all things clearly.
That is because there is one source of truth
that is complete, correct, and incorruptible.
That source is our infinitely wise and all-knowing Heavenly
Father.
He knows truth as it was, as it is, and as it yet will be.
Our loving Heavenly Father offers His truth
to us, His mortal children.
Now, what is this truth?
It is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ--He is "the way, the truth, and the life."
As you accept the responsibility to seek after truth
with an open mind and a humble heart,
you will become more tolerant of others,
more open to listen, more prepared to understand,
more inclined to build up instead of tearing down.
And you will be more willing to go where God wants you to go.
It is my prayer that you will seek
the truth earnestly and unceasingly,
that you will yearn to drink from the fount of all truth,
whose waters are pure and sweet, "a well of water
springing up into everlasting life."