raising your little elephant

Chapter Eleven- The Best Medicine

Have you ever heard an elephant laugh? If you did hear an elephant laugh, would you believe it was real or perhaps suspect digital tampering? If you witnessed such a sound in person you may have been caught by surprise at how its giggle resembled that of a small child. A simple web-search would quickly reveal that elephants are capable of a wide range of emotions.

Many animals can display facial and audible emotional responses that indicate a unique personality. As humans we may choose to disconnect ourselves emotionally from this concept unless the animal falls into the category of what we might call a pet. I imagine this is so we don't have to feel guilty if we find ourselves consuming the flame broiled flesh of such a creature.

I'm not trying to ruin your appetite, but the ability to become indifferent to the emotional make- up of another living creature is all too common in human behavior. In medical circles it has even been considered as evidence that a medical professional has what it takes to succeed in their profession. There is even a fancy word to describe what is seen as a weakness known as "transference". This gives the caretaker permission to dehumanize their patient thus making it easier to care for the medical needs of the patient apart from their emotional needs. Based on our previous discussions you may already have detected the elephant in this chapter.

It has often been said: "Laughter is the best medicine." Now you may agree or disagree with this statement, but even the Bible long ago stated that "A joyful heart is good medicine." Those words were written by a wise king who wrote many proverbs. If these statements are true then it is in our best interest to explore the potential benefits that contribute to such an elevated outlook on life.

Back in the 1960's one man began exploring the potential benefits of such an empathic approach. Hunter Adam's father died when he was just sixteen years of age. Adam's experienced many challenges in his youth which were attempting to chain his inner elephant to a spike. This led to him becoming actively suicidal. However, after self-institutionalizing he came to the conclusion that his problems could not be overcome by focusing on himself. So, he turned his focus towards helping others. While the medical staff at these facilities did little to help this emotionally struggling individual, he found solace by embracing the issues his fellow patients were enduring. In so doing he recovered from his depression to the point that his own inner elephant had seemingly sprouted wings, and in his case definitely in the form of ears.

You may be familiar with the movie that revealed this impassioned man to the world. His character was portrayed by the late Robin Williams a world-renowned comedy genius. One scene in this movie stands out as the defining moment that would change Hunter's name and purpose simultaneously.

Hunter was visiting with one of the patients one day and noticed his paper cup was leaking water. The patient had not even noticed this issue. He did however notice what Hunter did next. Making use of available tools in the room Hunter quickly takes a small piece of tape and closes over the small hole in the cup. The patient is so impressed with this small attention to a seemingly insignificant detail that he turns to Hunter, giving him the nickname "Patch", and forever changing this future doctor's worldview and altering the approach future generations of medical professionals would take toward those in their care. Thus, Patch Adams was born.

The man who was previously hunting for answers was now offering to patch people up. He knew he couldn't fix all the world's problems. However, he also believed that a revolution in thinking was needed. He lived in a time of social and civil unrest much like we do today. He knew that one voice, like a drop of water could become a rushing torrent if enough people could discover the true elephant in the room.

One thing that made his approach especially effective is the manner in which he differed from many in scientific circles who will not allow the other wing of the elephant in the room. We explored this previously. While Patch did not necessarily agree with all of his creator's methods, he did feel free to converse with him as many men of faith had done in times past. This added aspect of his elephant gave Patch the ability to grow beyond the jaded out look that stumbles many in the medical field. Faith is not about agreeing or disagreeing with a supreme being in the universe. It's really about conversing with the mental inconsistencies that we all face in life. Cutting ourselves off from these two wings will not uplift us. It may keep us grounded. Others may prefer that we remain grounded to their personal view of reality. However, this kind of behavior will only stunt personal growth, and cage our inner beast who will not take kindly to such emotional restraints. This in turn will lead to it acting out in ways that harm ourselves and negatively impact society as a whole.

Our reasoning mind is a critical player in our overall personality but it is a small player on top of a significant powerhouse that is often misunderstood or even ignored. Humor is a cheap trigger that lets our inner elephant breathe but it does not satisfy its needs. Laughter is like peanuts. Elephants love them but if you want to see a joyful elephant you have to treat it like any other living creature or vegetation. Love and concern along with acknowledgement will cause such a creature to really thrive. I'm not going to provide you with statistics to prove my point because you know what I'm saying is true. The question is: What are you going to do about it?

Our world today is determined to resist the lessons Mr. Adam's has been trying to wake us up to. Rather than embracing our inner seat of motivation, efforts are now under way to further suppress, cage, chain, and if possible, kill the part of ourselves that carries our most precious beliefs. Even as I'm writing this society is being conditioned to remain blind to the elephant in the room. If you turn the page then you will be making a choice to keep your eyes opened to this truth. Please try to keep an open mind.