Even as a baby elephant, Bulig was big. As Bulig grew up, he was taller and bigger than all his playmates. It didn’t take long for the other elephant to be afraid of him. And Bulig knew this. So he used his size to terrify others to do what he wanted them to do. He’d snort and growl as he’d say, “I’ll crush you!” It was his usual greeting to anyone he met on the road. Obviously, if the other elephants were scared of Bulig, the other smaller animals would be as well. Monkeys, deers, tigers, and even lions stood in awe at the huge animal. The elephants gave him a special home on top of a small hill. And Bulig’s throne was a gigantic bed. There he lay down and lorded it over the jungle. Each morning, the elephants would give him a basketful of bananas. And the monkeys would give him a basketful of apples. And the deer would give him a basketful of nuts. This happened everyday. So Bulig grew even bigger. And the more he grew, the more terrified the animals became of him. He now became a god to all the animals there. A group of pelicans took turns fanning him. A group of parakeets sang to him in the morning. A group of monkey acrobats performed for his evening entertainment. For the longest time, Bulig never much left his home. In fact, for years, he didn’t even stand up from his giant bed. All he really did was snort and growl once in awhile, “I will crush you!” And every time he said it, all the animals would be terrified. Because he didn’t move much, he became as fat as ten elephants put together! Now, even other animals from other jungles would visit to see for themselves if the Legend of the Giant Elephant was true. And all of them would stand in terror at the sight of the great beast. One of those animals was a tiny turtle by the name Pokito. Pokito heard about this Elephant and wanted to see him. Being a young and playful turtle, he thought it would be great to be friends with the giant elephant. So one day, he walked up to Bulig who was like a mountain compared to Pokito. But Pokito wasn’t afraid. He said, “Hi great Bulig! Can I be your friend?” All the animals around Bulig gasped in horror. Who dared speak to Bulig in that way? Does he know what he was saying? Poor turtle! Bulig was insulted that a little creature was not worshipping him as a god. So he snorted and growled his usual growl and said, “I will crush you!” But Pokito was a wise turtle. He saw that behind Bulig’s size was great weakness. He felt pity for him. So he simply said, “Bulig, I just want to be your friend. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I’ll just go on my merry way…” As he turned around, Bulig got even angrier and snorted and growled again and said in a bigger voice, “I WILL CRUSH YOU!” All the animals scampered behind bushes, rocks, and trees. It was the first time they heard Bulig this angry. Pokito turned around to face the giant again and said calmly, “Bulig, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You might hurt yourself…” Bulig’s face turned red as a fire truck. He stood up. Or at least tried to. Remember, it has been years since he even stood up! “Ummph… Ummmph…. Ummmmmmmph!” Bulig struggled and struggled but couldn’t stand up! “Bulig, please don’t do that…” Pokito said. All the animals left their hiding places. They were totally shocked to see their god having difficulty standing up! Finally, Bulig’s legs folded and he came crashing to the ground. Whaaam! Bulig was now in pain, but his humiliation was even greater than any physical pain he was feeling at that moment. First, a little monkey began to jeer. Soon, other monkeys joined him. And after awhile, all the animals began to ridicule Bulig. They taunted him and called him names. “Weakling!”, “Fatso!”, and “Blubberhouse!” That was when Pokito screamed, “Stooooooooop it!” Everyone hushed at the brave turtle in front of them. “For years, you worshipped Bulig as a god,” Pokito said, “but now, you’re insulting him as the enemy. Why are you doing that? Bulig is just one of us, just like any other animal.” Pokito marched to the embarrassed, whimpering Bulig and said, “Do you need help to stand up?” Sheepishly, Bulig nodded his head. The turtle turned to the other elephants, “Help your friend stand up.” The other elephants were astounded by the wisdom of the little turtle. All of them went beside the giant, and together, pushed him up. With great effort, the huge elephant stood up. With his knees still trembling, Bulig smiled at the turtle and quietly said, “Thank you. You are the real giant.” Pokito smiled. “Thank you.” Bulig asked, “Can you be my friend?” The turtle said, “On one condition. You have to join me in jogging every morning.” He winked. And all the animals broke out in laughter.I wrote this little story for Mustard, our children’s magazine. But the powerful lessons in the story aren’t for children only. In fact, I believe adults need to hear them more than kids do!
Here are the 7 life-changing lessons from the story:
Lesson #1:
Don’t look for worshippers; Look for true friends instead. Not all friends are created equal. Some friends are just fans. They admire you. They flatter you. They fear you. They benefit from you. But when you need them, they’re not there. Choose true friends over fans anytime. When you have a problem, they’ll stick there by your side.
Lesson #2:
The best way to look for a true friend is to be one. Are you a true friend? Do you care for people? Do you go out of your way to express your love for them? The best investment you’ll ever make will be in your relationships. There lies your true gold.
Lesson #3:
Bullies are weak. Avoid them or face up to them, but never be afraid of them. Do you have bullies in your life? You’ll always cross paths with bullies. Bullies intimidate people. Bullies want you to fear them. They manipulate you to follow them. Depending on the situation, you can avoid them or face up to them. But never be afraid of bullies. Because all bullies are fake. With their outward force, they cover up their weakness. But deep within, a bully is a fragile child with lots of fears.
Lesson #4:
When someone doesn’t like to be your friend, just walk off and go on your merry way. Life is too beautiful to be sad at one person’s rejection. People-pleasers want to please everyone. And when one person rejects them, they die within. Because people-pleasers need to be needed. When a person rejects them, they get hurt deeply—and carry this hurt wherever they go and allow this hurt to affect their lives forever. What does a mature person do when they receive rejection? They get hurt like everyone else but they don’t carry the hurt. They shake the dust of their feet and move on. They love themselves. They love life.
Lesson #5:
When someone is angry with you in an unjust way, pity that person. He will be hurting himself. Don’t pity yourself when you suffer unjust anger. Remember that unjust anger destroys the person who is angry, not you. Pity him.
Lesson #6:
Always be good and kind to everyone - whether he be a king or a beggar. Every human being you meet in life is God’s child. Whether he sits on a throne or lies on the mud, it makes no difference. That person is your family.
Lesson #7:
Your true size is measured by your courage, wisdom, and love. Are you a big person? Measure your courage and wisdom. By how you love, you shall know whether you have matured in life or not.
