There’s an old joke: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
I think this joke works because it sheds light on things we’d rather not see. In a time of instant gratification, we can shy away from large projects. I’m glad to know this is not you.
Instant gratification removes human effort from the equation – and all its complexities.
When things take a long time, one complexity is discouragement. That’s when our friends, our family and our lovers come in handy. One simple “I’m proud of you” can add strength and enthusiasm into any effort. And I am proud of you.
Sometimes we “eat” so fast we get a stomach ache. In the extreme, we vomit. By taking our time, we can avoid getting overwhelmed.
Instant gratification also removes having to make choices. Sometimes we just have to decide that we’re just not going to have a snack today. There’ll still be elephant to eat later.
Sometimes we have to choose which elephant to eat. Or no elephant. We all have the right to become vegetarians for a while.
Back when I was immersed in a Jewish family, I was served many kosher meals. I spent time thinking: “Does God care what we have for dinner?” The Torah and Talmud have rules. Do we need to follow rules to prove our devotion to God, or do we need to follow rules to prove our devotion to God to ourselves?
When eating an elephant, I think God’s just happy we’re not going hungry.