The Blind Men and the Elephant

Six blind men lived in a village. They had heard much about elephants but had never touched one. One day, an elephant came to the village. All six men wanted to touch it and learn what an elephant was like. The first man touched the trunk and declared that an elephant is like a snake. The second touched an ear and said an elephant is like a fan. The third touched a leg and announced it is like a tree trunk. The fourth touched the belly and claimed it is like a wall. The fifth touched the tail and said it is like a rope. The sixth touched a tusk and declared it is like a spear. They all began arguing, each insisting he was right and the others were wrong. Then a wise person came along and said they were all right and all wrong at the same time. Each had touched only one part of the elephant. The whole elephant is made up of all these parts together. If they shared their experiences, they would understand the complete picture.