The Speck on an Elephant’s Butt

Today I woke up feeling melancholy. My thoughts wandered around that old-fashioned and misunderstood word then leapfrogged to Abraham Lincoln and Michael J. Fox.

Pondering the tribulations of Abraham Lincoln is a good way to gain perspective on one’s own life and work, even from the distance of 144 years. There’s not much that equals the Civil War for the “poor me” factor; but Doris Kearns Goodwin’s excellent book Team of Rivals illustrates that in the face of overwhelming personal tragedy and seemingly insurmountable professional challenges, Lincoln maintained extraordinary equanimity. Although photographs mapped the increasing strain on Lincoln’s face, he wasn’t a man who wallowed. One thing I learned from this book is that even though he may have had a naturally melancholic nature, Lincoln was basically a life-affirming man who was well-known for his sense of humor and perspective.

This led me to Michael J. Fox. On the face of it, a comparison between Lincoln and Fox is ludicrous (tall/short, craggy/baby-faced, great president/actor). However, the subconscious works in weird and wonderful ways.

My eye was caught recently by a picture of Michael J. Fox on the cover of The Costco Connection Magazine. The incongruity between Costco and Fox piqued my curiosity and I ended up reading the whole cover story. Michael J. Fox, struggling with Parkinson’s disease since 1991, is just so… so… positive.

Here’s something he says in the April 2009 issue:

“Having a sense of humor is absolutely critical… It’s a companion to humility.
You have to kind of acknowledge that you’re the speck on an elephant’s butt” (23).

That phrase – the speck on an elephant’s butt – has stayed with me for weeks. It’s a phrase Lincoln would have loved.

From the point of view of the elephant, a speck is pretty insignificant. Think Rick to Ilsa in Casablanca: “…it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.” My problems don’t amount to much when compared to world hunger, the Civil War, or Parkinson’s disease. That comparison doesn’t do much for the reality of having to tackle specific challenges, but having perspective and a sense of humor certainly defines my attitude.

The elephant is the whole universe from the point of view of the speck. Sometimes the elephant is the one big thing that temporarily overshadows everything else in my life. Being a speck on that elephant’s butt might be something I can’t change, but perspective, sense of humor, and attitude can give me a different view as I’m carried along for the ride.

Work is the biggest elephant for most of us and these days we may feel as if we aren’t in a position to change much about where we work or what we do. However, as employers and employees alike we can change one thing every day: our attitudes.

Lincoln understood this. Michael J. Fox lives it. And I’m trying. What about you?

“The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.” Carlos Castaneda