17、Discovering An Elephant
盲人摸象
In a time before all the surprises had been discovered and catalogued, six best friends lived in a village at the end of a desert. These six men were blind, so their lives were filled with more surprises than most. They helped each other every day and never, ever disagreed.One day, they heard that an animal from very far away was visiting the village. The creature was called an elephant. None of the six blind men had ever met an elephant. They each had different ideas about it.The biggest of the men suggested, “I believe the elephant is the biggest animal.”The oldest of the friends said, “I bet that elephants live a long time.”The smartest man exclaimed, “I’m sure elephants have excellent memories!”“I hope the elephant is gentle enough to pet,” said the kindest man.“But it probably doesn’t have much hair,” added the bald blind man. The man who was the most adventurous suggested they meet the elephant. Then they walked through the village to the main square.The kindest blind man and his friends were happy that the elephant was gentle enough to pet. One by one, they approached the animal.The most adventurous man touched the elephant’s trunk. He thought for a few moments and said, “So, this is what an elephant is like! An elephant is long and rounded like a snake!”The oldest man touched the elephant’s ear. He was confused because he felt something different from the first man. He said, “I am sorry my friend, you are wrong! An elephant is like a big fan! It is large, curved on the side, and wrinkled.”The biggest man touched the elephant’s side. He, too disagreed. “It hurts me to say it, but you are both wrong,” he said. “An elephant is like a wall because it is tall, big, and strong.”The smartest man touched the elephant’s leg. He said, “What in the world are you three touching? An elephant is long, tall, and sturdy, like a pole!”The bald blind man touched the elephant’s tail. He exclaimed, “No, no, no, an elephant is long and thin, almost like rope.”The kindest of the friends touched the elephant’s tusk. “I am surprised, but you are all wrong,” he said. “An elephant is smooth and hard, like a spear. I am sure of it.”The six blind men argued, each one believing that he was right. They became more and more upset because of the disagreement. “How can we be friends!” one of them said. “We are all very different!”Just in time, a wise man walked by and asked about the commotion. “We can’t agree what the elephant is like,” they admitted. One by one, each blind man described the elephant as seemed right to him.After hearing each of their explanations, the wise man said, “Everyone is correct. But you each touched a different part of the elephant. This is why you disagree. None of you had the full picture.”“Oh!” all the blind men exclaimed. They finally understood, and they all laughed at their mistake together.The moral of this story is that what you see or hear or touch or taste or smell is true, but it may not be all that there is. No one can be sure of knowing the entire truth.Question: Have you ever thought something was true before finding outa new detail that changed your mind?
核心词汇
catalogue v. 把……编入目录，登记，记载
bald adj. 秃头的
adventurous adj. 爱冒险的，有进取心的
approach v. 靠近
trunk n. 象鼻
curved adj. 弯曲的
wrinkled adj. 有皱纹的
sturdy adj. 强壮的，结实的
pole n. 杆子
tusk n. （象）长牙
smooth adj. 光滑的
commotion n. 喧闹，骚动，混乱
以下翻译来自百度翻译：
在所有惊喜被发现和分类之前的一段时间里，六个最好的朋友住在沙漠尽头的一个村庄里。这六个人是盲人，所以他们的生活比大多数人都充满了惊喜。他们每天都互相帮助，从未有过分歧。一天，他们听说有一只动物从很远的地方来到这个村庄。这种生物被称为大象。六个盲人中没有一个见过大象。他们每个人对此都有不同的想法。最爱冒险的人建议他们去见大象。然后他们穿过村庄来到主广场。最善良的盲人和他的朋友们很高兴大象能温柔地抚摸它。他们一个接一个地走近那只动物。最爱冒险的人摸了摸大象的鼻子。他想了一会儿说：“大象就是这样！大象又长又圆，像蛇一样！”最年长的人摸了摸大象的耳朵。他感到困惑，因为他觉得自己和第一个人有些不同。他说：“对不起，我的朋友，你错了！大象就像一把大扇子！它很大，侧面弯曲，有皱纹。”最大的男人摸了摸大象的侧面。他也不同意。“说这话让我很伤心，但你们都错了，”他说。大象像一堵墙，因为它高、大、壮最聪明的人摸了摸大象的腿。他说：“你们三个到底在碰什么？大象长得又高又壮，像一根杆子！”秃头盲人摸了摸大象的尾巴。他喊道：“不，不，不，大象又长又细，几乎像绳子。”最善良的朋友摸了摸大象的象牙。“我很惊讶，但你们都错了，”他说。“大象是光滑而坚硬的，像矛一样。我敢肯定。”六个盲人争论，每个人都相信自己是对的。由于意见不合，他们变得越来越沮丧。“我们怎么能成为朋友！”其中一个说。“我们都很不同！”“我们不能同意大象是什么样子，”他们承认。一个接一个，每个盲人都把大象描述成他认为是对的。在听了他们的每一个解释后，智者说：“每个人都是正确的。但是你们每个人都触摸了大象的不同部分。这就是为什么你们不同意。你们都不了解整个情况。”“哦！”所有的盲人都喊道。他们终于明白了，他们一起嘲笑自己的错误。这个故事的寓意是，你所看到的、听到的、触摸到的、尝到的或闻到的都是真实的，但它可能不是全部。没有人能确定知道全部真相。
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