"Elephant"
A few Indian men brought an elephant to Iran for exhibition and entered it into a dark house so that no one could see it without a lamp. Four enthusiasts came at night to see the elephant and were told that it was not the time to see it. They insisted that they would see it and, by God, would not leave without seeing it.
“We do not need a lamp; whatever you ask, take it, but just show us the elephant.”
Thus, one of them went close to the elephant and touched its trunk, then came out saying, “The elephant is round, conical, and long like a pipe.”
Then the second man went inside, touched its legs, and said, “I have seen the elephant; it is like a pillar.”
The third touched the elephant's ears and said, “The elephant is like a fan and a sieve; yes, a bit broad and soft.”
The fourth placed his hand on the elephant's back and said, “The elephant is like a throne.”
“If they had a candle in their hands, there would be no disagreement among them. The disputes among worldly people are due to the darkness of ignorance. If they benefited from the light of knowledge (beneficial knowledge), they would neither fight nor quarrel.
(Rumi's Tales)
