Elephants and Mercedes

Elephants and Mercedes

A few years ago, as a missionary to Thailand, I remember riding down the street in the back of a modified pickup truck with benches attached to the back. The smell of exhaust coming from the thick traffic combined with the sticky heat to generate an old familiarity of what would come to define my Thailand experience; the mopeds and bicycles weaving in and out of the Mercedes Benz and Lexus with the occasional sighting of an elephant. Yes, I said an elephant. The first time I saw a man riding an elephant down the freeway I couldn’t help but wonder how the world had managed to leave the poor fellow behind. How do you keep riding elephants in a world of Mercedes?

Well, this week I found out. I can honestly say that for the first time in my life I felt like an elephant on a freeway. Let me explain.

As I signed into my first on-line course for school, I was overwhelmed with the newness of a world which had long since passed me by. I could feel the stress causing my arteries to harden as I tried to navigate through the mass of buttons (which are not really buttons) tabs (which are not really tabs) and assignments which I had to go to several different places just to find. After about an hour, I had managed to successfully update my profile and that was about it. Finally, in total frustration, I threw up my hands and said, “Forget it!” As I sat there in a dazed confusion, it dawned on me that I had become an elephant on the freeway.

So, what do we do in a post-modern world that is leaving us old-timers behind? Simply put, we do the best we can and be content with what we have; knowing that when the wheels fall off of the sports car, the elephant will still be there to offer a ride. 

Convenience may be found in getting it done quicker and more efficiently, but wisdom tells us that you can’t shortcut the journey. We, 'older folks' need to consider that we have a tendency to get in the way and cause traffic jams, but the young need to remember that it is good to slow down sometimes and leave room on the freeway for the elephants.

Brian Dodson