Two friends were walking through a village. Suddenly, they saw a man coming toward them with an elephant. One of the friends had a sudden thought: “Why not ask if I can have that elephant?” He shared the idea with his companion. But the other friend immediately disagreed.
“Do you have money to buy the elephant? You don’t, right? Then why ask for it?”
The first friend replied, “I have no money. But what harm is there in asking? If I get it, that is an elephant for me. If not at least I will have spoken a word.”
This is a familiar old story and saying from the countryside: ‘If you get it, you gain an elephant; if you don’t, you lose only a word.’
It carries a very relevant lesson for our daily lives. Some things can only be received if we ask. Asking should not be mistaken for undeservedly acquiring something or demanding without merit. Sometimes asking is simply a reminder-to let others know that such a person exists here, and that he is worthy of it. Not everyone will automatically understand our needs. We may need to remind them and that reminder often takes the form of asking.
Think of it this way: suppose you need a job. The first step is to send in your application. Instead, if you simply sit with folded hands thinking, “I have the skills and qualifications, let those who need me come and find me,” nothing special will ever happen. As the saying goes, ‘The one who needs it has no dignity.’ So don’t hesitate to ask.
What holds us back from asking is often our own sense of inferiority and ego. “Am I even worthy of asking?”-that is inferiority. “Should I be the one to ask?”-that is ego. When these two come together, we fail to put forward our needs and desires.
Therefore, don’t be afraid to ask. What do we truly lose by asking? Like the hero of the old story said: “If you get it, you gain an elephant; if not, you’ve only spoken a word.
Regards
Prof Antoney P Joseph
