STORIES travel. They can take us to other lands and cultures, or bring them to us. So since we cannot travel at the moment I will be bringing the world to East Lothian in the form of stories.

This week is a story from India which I like, not least because the main character is my favourite animal; an elephant.

I’ve loved elephants since early childhood. They are a giant of nature, yet also incredibly intelligent. They feel emotion like we do, in fact possibly more so as the emotional part of their brain is even more developed than that of humans.

The old saying that “an elephant never forgets” is rooted in this fact. An elephant’s emotional intelligence comes from its ability to remember and recall distant memory. Like humans, an elephant’s way of being is mostly learned in early life, rather than just based on instinct.

They are therefore highly sensitive creatures, influenced and affected by what they experience; just as we are.

I’ve heard different versions of this tale, and here I have peppered it very slightly with my own style:

Once, a king in ancient India owned an elephant. This royal elephant was the joy not just of the king, but also his people.

The trainer would ride the elephant every day along the streets. She was a magnificent sight, and children would run out to wave and watch the elephant go by. The trainer took a different route each day so people in different neighbourhoods all had a chance to enjoy the spectacle.

The people felt a real love and affinity for the elephant. Despite her size and strength, she was gentle and affectionate with the people. She would pat children carefully on their heads with her trunk and took care in where she walked.

The elephant made people feel safe. More than once she had saved a child from drowning in the nearby river, or from a predator from the jungle. She was a sacred animal to the people.

But then people began to notice a change in the elephant’s behaviour. She became aggressive and unpredictable. Instead of being patient with the children she knocked them out of her way with her trunk. Instead of being careful where she walked, she deliberately trampled on people’s gardens.

The trainer tried his best to control the elephant, but she seemed like a different animal. He couldn’t understand why she was behaving so differently.

It just got worse, until one day the elephant suddenly set off on a charge and rampaged through the streets, trumpeting loudly as she charged at the terrified people, almost killing some of them.

The king was horrified and ordered the elephant to be confined to her stables. With difficulty she was finally brought under control and locked in.

“What is going on?” asked the king to the trainer.

“I have no idea your majesty” he replied, “it’s as if she is a different elephant.”

“Perhaps the elephant is ill in some way?” suggested one of the king’s advisors. But the vet found nothing physically wrong.

Then the trainer suggested asking an old man who lived in the jungle as “he is known for his wisdom in understanding animals, perhaps he will know what the cause of this is”.

So the king sent a messenger and the old man came to the royal palace.

“Can you help?” asked the king.

The old man asked to be left alone with the elephant for a while.

When he returned he looked at the king and said: “Whatever is wrong is something that cannot be seen. I must spend some time with the elephant to understand what is troubling her”.

And so the old man decided to watch over the elephant that night. He smeared himself in mud to mask his scent and hid in a corner of the stable.

It was late evening when he heard voices.

A group of men had entered the stables from a small side door. They were a gang of murderers. They were using the royal elephant stable as a place to meet and plan their activities. And in so doing they recounted stories of their deeds.

Their leader was a man with a cold and ruthless heart. He told stories about his life and deeds, of how he’d murdered and tortured people he didn’t like. Members of his gang laughed and shared their tales too, likewise full of hatred and cruelty.

The elephant slumbered as these tales were told, but they were unknowingly heard by her. When the elephant woke the following morning, the tales of hate and violence still swirled in her mind.

The old man went to the king.

“Your majesty, there are two things you must do to cure the elephant.

“The first is to remove the murderers who meet in the stables at night. The second is you must find the kindest people, who live their lives with love and understanding. Then ask them to meet at night in the stable as the elephant sleeps and tell each other stories from their lives; tales of love and understanding. If you do this, then the elephant will be cured”.

The king looked bemused.

“I will most certainly remove the murderers,” he said, “but are you saying that stories will cure the elephant?”

“Yes, your majesty,” replied the old man, “but the right stories. You see we are made from the stories we hear.”

He went on: “If we constantly hear tales of hatred and violence then those stories paint our vision of life with fear, loathing and cruelty.

“But if we mostly hear tales of love and understanding, then our mind is coloured with kindness for others, and for ourselves.

“We are affected by the stories we hear, even if we don’t realise we have been listening to them.

“Your elephant was unknowingly listening to tales of hatred and killing every night as she slept. So her mind was filled with hate and distrust; her vision of the world changed and so did her behaviour.

“If she hears good stories then she will eventually become her kind self again.”

The king nodded in understanding and agreed to act on this. Within a few weeks the elephant’s behaviour had changed for the better.

“You are indeed wise in the ways of elephants,” the king said to the old man.

“The truth in this is not just for elephants,” the old man replied.

“People are like your elephant; the stories they hear will paint their world and affect how they live in it.”

The king nodded once again.

“My job is done,” said the old man, “I will now return to the forest.

“By the way, your elephant will have a calf, and her calf must hear good stories too”.

“How can I pay you for your wisdom?” asked the king.

The old man thought for a moment, then said: “Be a king who tells good stories; tales of kindness and understanding. And be a good listener to the stories told by your people.

“Then you will be a truly great leader and your kingdom will flourish and be a happier place.

“If you do that, it will be my greatest reward.”