The power of conditioning

I got this story on an email today. If this is true, it is the power of conditioning. Something that we need to break free from. It is interesting to read, and even more interesting to think long and hard about…

As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact
that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their
front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at
anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent
animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. "Well," he said, "when
they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and,
at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to
believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so
they never try to break free." I was amazed. These animals could at any time
break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were
stuck right where they were.

"Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a
belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once
before?"