The elephant in the room is a metaphor for an emotionally charged or sensitive topic that everyone is aware of but deliberately ignores.
Our silence creates an unspoken barrier that results in walking around on eggshells and tiptoeing around issues.
Certain topics carry so much weight that people will go to great lengths not only to avoid discussing them, but to deny they even exist.
In some cases there is fear of the repercussions of bringing up the topic and sometimes the taboo associated with the topic is more powerful than the desire to address it.
Conversations about the elephant finally take place when frustration boils over to anger, and someone decides to drop a truth bomb.
This becomes an aggressive/defensive dance that fails to resolve the issue and adds one more reason to not go there in the future.
Real freedom and authenticity come when we are willing to address an uncomfortable topic courageously and empathically.
Barriers finally come down as our relationship is enhanced by the open discussion.
How does a huge elephant get into the room?
It enters as a little calf that could have been guided out the door, but when we let it stay, it grows and becomes more powerful.
Removal becomes a much bigger issue. We might need to move some walls and get professional help to be rid of it.
What topic do you avoid discussing? What issue brings uneasiness, creates tension in your body and draws out defensiveness?
Don’t ignore the Elephant, it’s only going to grow bigger, noisier and smellier! Find the courage to initiate a difficult conversation.
