The short tale ‘Gautama and the Elephant’ teaches the reader about the moral values that a person should have and the reward of those values one gets when he or she exhibits. In this corporate world, people are more selfish than they have been in the past. The cultural and moral values mean nothing to them, instead all of them want to achieve everything by any means. This tale gives a strong message of a friendship and companionship. A friend is he who helps and protects the other person even if his own life is in danger. The most important thing in life is to please the people around us. People should inculcate and instill in themselves the qualities of piety, respect, empathy, and sympathy. The people, who are privileged, should try to help those who are poor and destitute. Nowadays, people want nothing to do with others. If someone does not see anything profitable in doing a task, he or she will not do. People do not realize the feelings one gets by helping others. People are devoid of the feelings of joy and elation one receives by helping others.
People need to uplift their cultural and moral values. The story teaches us that no matter what the temptations one get for betraying the trust of someone, one should not get lured into that temptation. In this material world, people have their priorities on materialistic things. They want nice cars, houses, and jobs, but no one is seeking to make a good friend. People only befriend those whom they know they can benefit materialistically. The story teaches us that whoever is in need of a help, one should help that person, even if they had to go out of their comfort zone to do that. The story teaches the reader that one should not betray his or her friend, especially a longtime friend, but instead do whatever needs to be done in order to protect them. People should be the priority of a person above every materialistic reward. In the end, the moral of the story is that if someone tries to help the other person and rejects every reward and bribery, he or she will get the reward and that reward will be much greater and valuable than the materialistic gifts.
In the story, Gautama came across a baby elephant who was helpless. He believed it was an obligation that he should help and take care of that infant animal. The animal became his good friend. They seem to be inseparable. But he was tested on his friendship. He was offered all the riches of the world but he knew that nothing can get him to betray his old friend. He did not succumb to the temptation because he knew very well that nothing in this universe can buy the joy of a good friend. Riches and materialistic rewards can never replicate the feelings of joy and contentment of a good friendship. Money cannot buy morals of a good person. The story elucidates that when you help someone is difficult times and do not break their trusts no matter what the circumstances are, the universe has his way of rewarding you, which is far precious and valuable than the apparent materialistic rewards.
There is a huge difference between a good behavior and a bad one. A good behavior is such that one knows in his heart that he is doing a right thing when his heart is content and there is no guilt in his mind after doing something. When faced with the dilemma of forsaking his lifelong friend for the riches of the world, Gautama, without thinking for a second, opt to choose his friend. He could have easily chosen the rewards, but would not be a wise and good decision. Good behavior gets always rewarded in some way. Had Gautama forsaken his friend, he would not have received any rewards and the elephant would have been taken away from him. We are all tested in life and it is our own decisions that determine the kind of a person we really are.
