A long time ago, in a remote corner of the world...
Dima approached the shaman's house and knocked on the door with some trepidation wondering what the shaman would do. Would he give him some drug and put him in a trance? Or would he perform a ritual cleanse? He wished he did not have to do this but Rini, his wife had put her foot down. Either he went to the shaman and got cured or she would leave him. After all it was all his own doing. He could not really blame her.
The house was somewhat isolated almost at the edge of the forest. The shaman opened the door himself. He was a tall man with a flowing mane and piercing eyes. "You must be Dima. Come, I have been expecting you", he greeted Dima who was taken aback. 'Wow, he is good', he thought but he did not know that his wife had met the shaman previously and told him Dima was coming.
"Here, have some tea", he offered. "It's just chamomile, relax", he added sensing Dima's apprehension. As Dima took the cup and had a sip, the shaman asked, "Tell me why you are here". "I am addicted to drinking and I want to stop", replied Dima. "Do you really want to stop drinking? Give up alcohol completely?", asked the shaman and Dima hesitated and said rambling, "Yes, I mean... if I can have a drink now and then, maybe..but I don't want to get drunk. I can't seem to help it...".
Dima's alcoholism had gotten so bad lately that he often passed out at what passed for a pub in that remote place situated in the middle of nowhere. His drinking buddies would usually take him to his house and leave him on the door step. He would wake up hours later only to face Rini's wrath. On one occasion, he actually fell into a ditch while walking home and slept right there. The local kids had painted his face while he was passed out. It was mortifying and that's when he resolved to seek help.
It was generally the custom in his little town to approach the shaman for help in many matters. The latter was an expert in driving evil spirits away and curing all kinds of ailments both physical and mental. He had a huge cache of herbs and other substances and dispensed them with a deft touch. His curative powers were well known in the region. So Rini had made Dima seek his help in ridding him of the evil habit.
After some more questioning, the shaman seemed to smile mockingly as he declared, "You are tricky. You really don't want to quit, it seems...I don't know if I can help you...well maybe, I can", he continued and thought for a while. After a couple of minutes, his face brightened and he said, "I have got it. But I must first have your assurance that you will follow my advice without fail". Dima nodded tentatively and wanted to say something, but the shaman cut him off.
With a mischievous look, he said, "You may be surprised to hear this, but I think it is alright for you to drink on one condition". Dima was indeed astonished. The shaman continued, "You can have a drink provided you are not thinking of an elephant". Dima was now confused. 'This man seems cuckoo and he's going to cure me?', he thought to himself. "What do you mean elephant? And why should I not think of it?", he asked.
It must be noted here that Dima lived in a part of the world where there were no elephants. He had no idea what an elephant was and so you can appreciate his confusion. The shaman replied, "I did not say you shouldn't think of an elephant. Just that if you are thinking of one, you absolutely must not drink". Dima mulled these words carefully and felt that this was a simple enough thing to follow. It was not likely that he would be thinking of elephants, he concluded. So he thanked the shaman and told him that he would follow the prescription diligently. As he was leaving, the shaman spoke again, "Remember, no drinks if you are thinking of elephants". He had a way of speaking that exuded some mysterious compelling power and made a real impact on the listener.
So Dima went his way and was quite pleased with the results. Such a simple prescription! He stopped at the pub on his way back and ordered himself a stiff drink. As he raised the cup to his mouth, he smiled as he said to himself, 'Elephant!' and then suddenly realized that he was indeed thinking of elephants. In fact, he found that he could not stop thinking about them because he kept wondering what they were. After a whole day's struggle, he regretted that he had not asked the shaman what elephants were. 'Once I learn what they are I shall put them out of my mind', he thought and went straight back to the shaman.
The shaman told him all he knew about elephants. And he seemed to know them well. Dima got totally fascinated. "Have you seen one?", he asked and the shaman replied that he had. When he was young, he said he had travelled with his father to a distant city in the north where he had seen some elephants perform in a circus. Dima peppered him with questions and learnt all he could about elephants. He was quite excited as he walked back home. Unfortunately, now that he knew so much about them, he could not get elephants out of his mind! Worse, drinking and elephants had become inextricably entangled in his mind and he could not look at a drink without an elephant popping into his head. After a couple of weeks of intense struggle and suffering, he had indeed quit drinking.
Rini was very pleased with the result even though Dima went on a bit about elephants constantly. They say the elephant never forgets. In Dima's case, the elephant turned out to be unforgettable too. If only he could knock back a few drinks, he was certain he could manage to forget the elephant. The delicious irony of the situation made him sigh wistfully. He now drank copious amounts of herbal tea. Chamomile, anyone?
Dima approached the shaman's house and knocked on the door with some trepidation wondering what the shaman would do. Would he give him some drug and put him in a trance? Or would he perform a ritual cleanse? He wished he did not have to do this but Rini, his wife had put her foot down. Either he went to the shaman and got cured or she would leave him. After all it was all his own doing. He could not really blame her.
The house was somewhat isolated almost at the edge of the forest. The shaman opened the door himself. He was a tall man with a flowing mane and piercing eyes. "You must be Dima. Come, I have been expecting you", he greeted Dima who was taken aback. 'Wow, he is good', he thought but he did not know that his wife had met the shaman previously and told him Dima was coming.
"Here, have some tea", he offered. "It's just chamomile, relax", he added sensing Dima's apprehension. As Dima took the cup and had a sip, the shaman asked, "Tell me why you are here". "I am addicted to drinking and I want to stop", replied Dima. "Do you really want to stop drinking? Give up alcohol completely?", asked the shaman and Dima hesitated and said rambling, "Yes, I mean... if I can have a drink now and then, maybe..but I don't want to get drunk. I can't seem to help it...".
Dima's alcoholism had gotten so bad lately that he often passed out at what passed for a pub in that remote place situated in the middle of nowhere. His drinking buddies would usually take him to his house and leave him on the door step. He would wake up hours later only to face Rini's wrath. On one occasion, he actually fell into a ditch while walking home and slept right there. The local kids had painted his face while he was passed out. It was mortifying and that's when he resolved to seek help.
It was generally the custom in his little town to approach the shaman for help in many matters. The latter was an expert in driving evil spirits away and curing all kinds of ailments both physical and mental. He had a huge cache of herbs and other substances and dispensed them with a deft touch. His curative powers were well known in the region. So Rini had made Dima seek his help in ridding him of the evil habit.
After some more questioning, the shaman seemed to smile mockingly as he declared, "You are tricky. You really don't want to quit, it seems...I don't know if I can help you...well maybe, I can", he continued and thought for a while. After a couple of minutes, his face brightened and he said, "I have got it. But I must first have your assurance that you will follow my advice without fail". Dima nodded tentatively and wanted to say something, but the shaman cut him off.
With a mischievous look, he said, "You may be surprised to hear this, but I think it is alright for you to drink on one condition". Dima was indeed astonished. The shaman continued, "You can have a drink provided you are not thinking of an elephant". Dima was now confused. 'This man seems cuckoo and he's going to cure me?', he thought to himself. "What do you mean elephant? And why should I not think of it?", he asked.
It must be noted here that Dima lived in a part of the world where there were no elephants. He had no idea what an elephant was and so you can appreciate his confusion. The shaman replied, "I did not say you shouldn't think of an elephant. Just that if you are thinking of one, you absolutely must not drink". Dima mulled these words carefully and felt that this was a simple enough thing to follow. It was not likely that he would be thinking of elephants, he concluded. So he thanked the shaman and told him that he would follow the prescription diligently. As he was leaving, the shaman spoke again, "Remember, no drinks if you are thinking of elephants". He had a way of speaking that exuded some mysterious compelling power and made a real impact on the listener.
So Dima went his way and was quite pleased with the results. Such a simple prescription! He stopped at the pub on his way back and ordered himself a stiff drink. As he raised the cup to his mouth, he smiled as he said to himself, 'Elephant!' and then suddenly realized that he was indeed thinking of elephants. In fact, he found that he could not stop thinking about them because he kept wondering what they were. After a whole day's struggle, he regretted that he had not asked the shaman what elephants were. 'Once I learn what they are I shall put them out of my mind', he thought and went straight back to the shaman.
The shaman told him all he knew about elephants. And he seemed to know them well. Dima got totally fascinated. "Have you seen one?", he asked and the shaman replied that he had. When he was young, he said he had travelled with his father to a distant city in the north where he had seen some elephants perform in a circus. Dima peppered him with questions and learnt all he could about elephants. He was quite excited as he walked back home. Unfortunately, now that he knew so much about them, he could not get elephants out of his mind! Worse, drinking and elephants had become inextricably entangled in his mind and he could not look at a drink without an elephant popping into his head. After a couple of weeks of intense struggle and suffering, he had indeed quit drinking.
Rini was very pleased with the result even though Dima went on a bit about elephants constantly. They say the elephant never forgets. In Dima's case, the elephant turned out to be unforgettable too. If only he could knock back a few drinks, he was certain he could manage to forget the elephant. The delicious irony of the situation made him sigh wistfully. He now drank copious amounts of herbal tea. Chamomile, anyone?
