The Memory of an Elephant


Elephants are known for being smart and for having great memories.  They earn this reputation in many ways, but I read recently a factoid about elephants that fascinated me.  Elephants leave the way they came in.  If they enter a valley from the north, they will leave through the same pass.   Perhaps it is because of their great memory or exceptional sense of direction, or it could be because they are smart enough to know what they can expect from that direction.  Or perhaps they are very risk adverse.

In any case, I think we are a lot like elephants.  We tend to come and go via well-worn paths, take the safe routes, and cover the same ground over and over before venturing a new way.  Memories make us nostalgic and nostalgia leads up to repeat history.

This could be great.  Or it could lead to missed opportunities and chances never taken.  

 

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