How do you eat an elephant?

How do you eat an elephant?

I’ve heard this question before. At first I was caught in surprise thinking it would be impossible no matter how big your appetite is. Wait, now some familiar faces are popping in my mind… The answer by the way is piece by piece.

Sometimes, upon facing a very big challenge, we are simply stumped. We realize how little we are and how big the problem is. Then doubts come pouring in, confidence erodes, and self-trust vanishes into thin air. Isn’t this our usual experience? The world seems to be filled with so many problems and too few people to solve it.
As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begin with a simple step, maybe we all just need to take that first step of faith. It may be far, it may be big, but the first step is the start of its conquest. I believe we are all called to face our daily challenges and do something about it rather than cry all day in our helplessness.
This is what I learned as I faced the mammoth Philosophy. Forgive me, but many times I’m a coward, and as I face my studies, I tremble at the thought of de Universa. I have heard stories of post-novices jittering and jokes of brothers who faint in front of the panel of professors. My first dive, my first step, into the waters of Philosophy may have brought shivers but once I was inside the water, I realize I know how to swim and I know I can reach the next shore.

Stupid me, there is no reason to rush things. De Universa is years away, there is ample time to prepare. I’m still at the bottom of the ladder, I’ll face things as they come.

Piece by piece, that’s it. We don’t have to take everything all at once. Take one piece of life a day, munch it, relish it, and gulp it in. After days of taking a small piece at a time, what looked like an elephant before has become a teeny-weeny mouse. An impossible task has become a delightful meal called life.

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