raising your little elephant

Chapter Ten- What If an Elephant Could Fly?

One of my least favorite but most memorable stories from my childhood was about an elephant that could fly. This story seems as dark as anything written by Charles Dickens. The cruelty displayed by the humans in the animated Disney film "Dumbo" was enough to bring tears to anyone's eyes. Even the name attached to this baby elephant is so derogatory you wish they would rename the movie. Buried beneath the surface however, is a remarkable expose' of all the topics this book has sought to uncover.

This tale has recently been renewed as a live action adaptation, however both versions expose far more than the horrors of animal cruelty. I will focus more on the updated take on this classic because it seems to be a deliberate attempt to reveal certain skills that we will need to implement in future chapters.

In order to fully grasp the value of this story, I will be referencing information from my previous book: "The Convenience of Narcissism". If you have not read it you may not understand all my allusions. If you have read it, we are about to discover hidden gems in the account of this little flying pachyderm. Either way I will do my best to explain the hidden metaphors found in this dark tale of hope.

The death of a parent is a tragedy no child should have to endure. Sadly, it is all too common. Death due to cruelty however adds a new dimension to the horror. I know what you're thinking. Dumbo's mom didn't actually die. Well, our little elephant doesn't know that until the end of the story so the feelings he has are just as painful as if she had.

Before we go any further, I can't continue writing this chapter until I change the name of our main protagonist. He is not dumb (implied stupid; actually, meaning mute or speechless). He is actually the hero of this story. So, from here on out I will refer to the large eared calf as "HERO". There that's better. Calling him by that other name just feels like a form of animal racism. Anyways, let's get back to the story.

HERO lost his mom because she tried to defend her baby from the abusive taunting of some cruel human children. In her rage she was labeled as "MAD". Wouldn't you be mad too if your child was being treated cruelly by other children? Of course, you would! She was simply a Mother Against Delinquency. Anyways, animals apparently are not allowed to defend their young against human abuse. Now, don't get me wrong, not all children are like this. Some have it beat out of them. Others learn to be kind from having loving parents who lead by example. It just so happens that two youngsters with such a background befriend our large eared little HERO.

The children lost their own mother to death, and their father, (a horse trainer) has returned home from war maimed by visible battle scars. However, this has not jaded him or made him cold and callus to his family. He is our Christ-like personality in this story, willing to sacrifice himself for his children. He remains good despite the many challenges he and his family have faced.

In an attempt to help young HERO, rise above his recent taunting that gave him a serious case of low self-esteem, the children discover that HERO's rather large ears which slouch over his face, are actually an untapped resource, that can propel the little guy into the sky, while simultaneously help this struggling circus take off as a major tourist attraction. It is discovered that a feather holds the key to this remarkable revelation. Whenever our little HERO holds the feather in the snout of his trunk, he gains the courage to flap his ears and take flight. He becomes an instant sensation as he is repeatedly exposed to life threatening scenarios which would no doubt raise the eyebrow of any animal rights activist.

What is so interesting about this whole story is, although it is obviously fictional it reveals concepts that we all need to understand if we are to successfully raise our own little elephant. For example, the feather is a placebo. HERO's ability to fly has more to do with his ears than his belief that a feather has some mysterious power needed to allow him to defy gravity.