We have God’s teachings to guide us, and we are all working together to build His kingdom on Earth. Sometimes, of course, we do not know how best to move forward, but God has given us a wonderful gift to help us learn little by little how to put His teachings into practice and follow His Divine guidance. It is the gift of consultation.
When we consult, we come together in search of truth, discussing possibilities, talking over ideas, and sharing understanding. All the participants contribute in whatever they can so that a unified vision of the way forward can emerge. We can use the tool of consultation to help us with all matters, great or small. We know that, as we take action, reflect on our efforts, discuss what we have learned in a loving and prayerful manner, and study God’s teachings and His creation, the path that lies ahead will become more and more illuminated. In this way, consultation is like a lamp that guides us to greater and
greater understanding.
During His travels in the West, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had the occasion to observe the discussions of a group that had come together to make some important decisions for their country. He was not impressed by what He saw. In this meeting, He said, fighting and arguing ruled the day. It had become a battleground, with everyone standing in opposition to the others, trying only to promote their own ideas and opinions. They had lost sight of their objective, which should have been to see the truth of the matters before them. The result was mostly confusion and turmoil. True consultation, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained, is a spiritual conference and not the mere voicing of personal views in opposition and debate. To help us remember to rely on consultation to lead us to greater understanding, let us memorize the following quotation:

Ask the children to imagine they live in a small village in a large kingdom. One night, the king arrives riding an animal no one has ever seen before, called an elephant, and he camps just outside the village. The villagers hear about the king’s arrival and are so curious to find out more about the elephant that they send a group of six young people out to the camp immediately, giving them a lamp to guide them through the dark, moonless night. Six children from your class can be asked to assume the part of the youth. When they arrive at the camp, everyone is already sleeping, and they put out the lamp so as not the wake the king. Now they cannot see a thing! But they can hear some strange noises coming from the edge of the camp and they follow the noises, thinking this must be the elephant:

The first person is in such a hurry that he runs straight into the side of the elephant. He spreads out his arms and feels the wide side of the elephant and decides it is like a wall.

The second person waves his arms about in the air and suddenly grasps the elephant’s trunk. It feels like a snake to him, and he notes his discovery.

The third person touches the elephant’s tusk. It is hard and smooth and has a pointed tip. She decides that an elephant is like a spear.

The fourth person feels along the ground and finds one of the elephant’s legs. As she touches its rough skin, the elephant stomps its foot. So she thinks that an elephant is like a tree trunk that bends and can bang on the ground.

The fifth person reaches out and happens to grab the elephant’s tail. He decides that an elephant is just like a small bit of rope.

The sixth person runs up to the side of the elephant and feels a kind of breeze from the flapping of the elephant’s ear. She reaches out and touches the ear and decides that an elephant is like a living fan. Then she rushes to join the others, and they all head back to the village.

Now ask the children to pretend they are back in the village. At first, there is confusion, as each person repeats what he or she has found. Then, an old man happens by and reminds them that if they consult they might get a better idea of what an elephant really looks like. Taking turns, everyone explains what he or she felt to the villagers, who can be played by other children in the class. You can guide the children through the enactment of what happens next:

All agree that the elephant is covered with rough skin and that it must be very large, for none of the youth could feel its back or the top of its head. They also know that the king rides the elephant, so they think it probably has four legs like a horse or camel or other animals that people ride. They realize that the “tree” is the only part of the elephant that rested on the ground and decide that this must be what its legs are like. Then they realize that the “rope” and the “snake” were at opposite ends. They suggest that one is a nose and the other a tail. And they think that the “fans” and “spears”, which were so close to the “snake”, might well be ears and teeth. As they discuss what they know and what they have learned, they slowly piece together a picture of the elephant as a very large animal with broadsides and rough skin, four thick legs and two very long teeth, a small tail, and a very long nose, and two big floppy ears. The next day, when the king rides through the village atop the elephant, they are delighted to see that the creature walking in front of them is exactly like the one they had drawn the night before.