Distant Elephants

The Mirror
Distant Elephants
2002-07-19 16:00

You’re a nice person, and you don’t like to disappoint people. After all, you’re reading this page – that suggests you are at ease with your spiritual nature. You may already have developed some of your psychic abilities

But there’s a downside to being nice. You share other people’s woes, and that makes you vulnerable. A kind, loving, generous human being is always open to exploitation by people who see love as a weakness. I don’t suggest you should ever change your nature or become cynical. What you must do, however, is learn to protect your vulnerable side.

You probably receive daily mailshots from charities. Every one of them has a heartbreaking story to tell, and a fine record of helping the needy. You can’t pledge donations to them all, but how can you avoid feeling bad when you put one in the bin? Make a list of the charities you’d like to support. You might want one focal charity, and two or three minor ones. The main one will probably be linked to some event in your family; perhaps the others could be international charities, which often have schemes whereby you can give as little a £2 each month and still achieve a great amount.

When other people ask for donations, you can refuse if you wish by saying: “Thanks, but I already support other specific organisations.” No genuine charity fundraiser will fail to appreciate your forethought.

Other good causes may make demands on your future time. I am often invited to celebrity events, months in advance, and I apply the theory of Distant Elephants. A herd of elephants on the horizon may look small and unimportant – but when they’re on top of you it’s a different story. Far-off appointments are like distant elephants: when the time rolls around, they will fill your whole calendar.

Imagine the elephants are close up, and accept only the ones you could deal with right now.