A Sufi Tale: Some Parting Thoughts

Faculty were invited to give a brief talk at Global Studies on the last day of the class before the exam. A student had graciously lent me a collection of Sufi tales and I took a Dervish story as the basis of my talk. Here it is.

In a gesture of great generosity, Isaac Luttio loaned me a book of the title Tales of the Dervishes. I was anxious to read from the Sufi Masters, for I had had such a disappointing experience watching the dervishes play and dance in Istanbul.

The tale of the gnat and the elephant caught my eye. It goes, One day Namouss the Gnat decided for good and sufficient reasons to move house. He chose the ear of a certain elephant for his home.

Soon he was able to install himself in large and highly attractive quarters. Time passed. He raised several families of gnatlets, and sent them out into the world.

Years rolled past and Namouss the gnat knew the usual moments of joy and sorrow, of stress and relaxation which are the lot of the gnat wherever he can be found.

Naturally Namouss had followed proper ceremony when he moved in. As he moved in he cried, “Oh elephant, know that none other than I, Namouss the Gnat, propose to make this place my abode. As it is your ear, I am giving you the customary notice of my intention.”

The elephant raised no sound and no objection. But Namouss did not know that the elephant had not heard him at all; neither had he felt the entry of the gnat and his various families.

Forgive me for saying this but the elephant had no idea the gnats were there at all.

And when the time came when Namouss decided, for compelling reasons, to move house again, he followed established and hallowed customs.

Namous, having rehearsed his departing words, shouted into the elephant’s ear several times. No answer came at all.

One last time Namouss shouted, “O elephant, know that I, the Gnat Namouss, propose to leave my hearth and home, to quit my residence in this ear of yours where I have dwelt for so very long.
And I am prepared to explain my reasons for departure. So what are your feelings about my departure?”

Finally the elephant raised his great head, trumpeted his response which contained this sense: “Go in peace, for in truth your going is of as much interest and significance to me as was your coming.”

And as we leave, we ponder the elephant and wonder if we are like the gnat visiting the enormous world where our significance is little or nothing. What have we left there that is good, and what have we taken that we can use to better our world?

While I do not know that answer to this question, I do know that I now see our world with greater perspective, humility and awe.

I will act more thoughtfully and carefully, and always remember that Gnossis the Gnat still lived a good life, even when the elephant refused to acknowledge him.

I’ve been to ten countries; I’ve seen the world, but part of me feels like I’ve just watched an ambitious National Geographic Special on tv, with breaks for popcorn, and ice cream, swirled.

The trip confirmed for me so much I already knew, how small but important my power to save one man, one woman, one child is, to mend and heal what is broken and within my reach.