ESTAL, Paul Cedric A.

September 30, 2020

Of God and Blind Men: An Eye Opener

The Blind Men and the Elephant is a famous Indian fable that tells the story of six
blind sojourners that come across different parts of an elephant in their life journeys. In
turn, each blind man creates his own version of reality from that limited experience and
perspective. In philosophy departments throughout the world, the Blind Men and the
Elephant has become the poster child for moral relativism and religious tolerance. The
Blind Men and the Elephant is an ancient parable used today as a warning for people
that promote absolute truth or exclusive religious claims. The simple reason is that our
sensory perceptions and life experiences can lead to limited access and overreaching
misinterpretations. How can a person with a limited touch of truth turn that into the one
and only version of all reality?

When it comes to the moral of the Blind Men and the Elephant, it seems that
today’s philosophers end their agenda too quickly. Doesn’t the picture of the blind men
and the elephant also point to something bigger -- The elephant? Indeed, each blind
man has a limited perspective on the objective truth, but that doesn’t mean objective
truth isn’t there. In fact, truth isn’t relative at all… It’s there to discover in all its totality. In
theology, just because we have limited access to Truth, that doesn’t mean any and all
versions of Truth are equally valid. Actually, if we know the Whole Elephant is out there,
shouldn’t this drive us to open our eyes wider and seek every opportunity to experience
more of Him?