A young man was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from college. While he was walking through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air.
The elephant seemed distressed so the man approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot. There was a large thorn deeply embedded in the bottom of the foot.
As carefully and as gently as he could he worked the thorn out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man and with a rather stern look on its face, stared at him. For a good ten minutes the man stood frozen -- thinking of nothing else but being trampled.
Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned and walked away.
The man never forgot that elephant or the events
of that day. Twenty years later the man was walking through the zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to where they were standing at the rail. The large bull elephant stared at him and lifted it's front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times, all the while staring at the man. The man couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant.
After a while it trumpeted loudly; then it continued to stare at him.
The man summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder.
Suddenly
the elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of the man's legs and swung him wildly back and forth along the railing, killing him.
why is it the most applicable advise to give someone who's suffering is often
some cliche proverb which, while somewhat of a truism, never actually
consoles or seems anything, in the least bit, but patroniznig?
There's not really any readily available way around being heirarchically above someone you're helping is some way. They're in need and you provide for them. Cliches carry the weight of all the annoying patronizing people who have spoken them previously.
so are you speaking in kinda a general "people are stupid arrogant assholes" kinda society? or is there a particular group or organization that is victim for your wrath?
Today is my last day of class for the year and yet I'm still reluctant to go. Something about going out in the freezing cold coupled with having to see my ex seems uninviting. Oh well, get it over with.