h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Four blind men came across an elephant.

The first touched only his side and walked away from a wall he could not climb.

The second felt his trunk and wondered where the fireman was to use the hose, and ran from the flames.

The third felt a leg and pushed the tree to see if any fruit would fall but no food made him leave to try another tree.

The fourth felt the tail and ran off from a poisoness snake.

The moral is don't be taken in by first impressions but use all your senses to take in the whole picture.

Another moral from this is that things seem different according to your standpoint and often you have to hold off judgement until you can see the whole picure. Sometimes that's not possible.

or that even when presented with the same information, individual circumstance and bias alters the perception. more simply put, there's always more than one side to the story...

You may wish to refer to this poem ...

The Blind Men and the Elephant
A Hindoo Fable - by John Godfrey Saxe

I
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind).
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

II
The FIRST approached the Elephant
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side
At once began to bawl:
'God bless me, but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!'

III
The SECOND, feeling of the tusk,
Cried 'Ho! What have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mightly clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear.'

IV
The THIRD approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
'I see, 'quoth he, 'the Elephant
Is very like a snake!'

V
The FOURTH reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee,
'What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mightly plain, 'quoth he:
'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!'

VI
The FIFTH, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: 'E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most,
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!'

VII
The SIXTH no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
'I see, 'quoth he, 'the Elephant
Is very like a rope!'

VIII
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong.
Though each was partly in the right
And all were in the wrong.

IX
So, oft in theologic wars
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!

And don't forget the fables of Jean De La Fontaine (a french fellah)

Thank you Dr Trout.

I shall quote that to some of my more disputatious friends

Any dates - times - biog of JG Saxe? They're bound to ask.

1816-1887?

And almost certainly it's about the concept of God from the perspective of different religions. It sould be nice if this can come across in the collaborative fable entry.