The Hyena and The Drum
- Mar 4, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 30
An African-Inspired Parable
One evening, a hungry hyena was walking through the savanna.
As the sun went down, he heard a loud sound:
BOOM… BOOM… BOOM…
The hyena froze.
His heart started racing.
“That must be a giant animal,” he thought.“Something big… something dangerous… something coming for me.”
The sound got louder in his mind, even though it stayed the same.
So the hyena ran away as fast as he could.
The next day, a small rabbit passed through the same area.
She heard the same sound:
BOOM… BOOM… BOOM…
She got curious.
“What is that?” she wondered.
Slowly, carefully, she walked closer.
And when she reached the sound…
She started to laugh.
It wasn’t a giant animal at all.
It was just the wind hitting an old drum someone had left behind.
Later, the rabbit told the hyena:
“The sound wasn’t dangerous.Your mind made it bigger than it really was.”
The hyena felt surprised.
Clarity arrived. The hyena did admit “I didn’t run from the drum…I ran from my own guess about the drum.”
Relating to Connect
Sometimes our brain hears or sees something…
And it tries to make meaning very fast.
It reaches ahead, fills in the gaps, and tells a story before we’ve had time to check what’s real.
But those first stories are not always true.
At growURpotential.org, we call this projection:
It’s when we create a meaning based on what we feel,and then forecast it into the future as if it’s already happening.
Projection is not a mistake—it’s a protective habit.
But when we slow down, we can ask:
“Is this what’s actually happening…or is this what my mind is predicting?”
And in that pause, we make space for truth, connection, and choice.
When we think something is happening because of how we feel inside, we respond accordingly.
But what if we are mistaken?
A friend is quiet → “They’re mad at me”
A teacher looks serious → “I’m in trouble”
Someone doesn’t respond → “They don’t like me”
But really… it might just be:
They’re tired
They’re thinking
They’re having their own day
We connect better when we imagine less.
Remind and Remember
“Am I seeing the drum…or am I imagining the monster?”
Practice As a Family
When something feels big or scary:
Pause and inhale deeply
Get curious instead of certain
Ask:
“What do I know is true?”
“What am I guessing?”
Take a breath
Admit it’s going to be ok
Listening From Love
We are all learning how to listen carefully—
Not just to the world around us,
But to the stories our mind tells us about the world.
And sometimes, when we slow down…
We can admit it was just a drum all along.
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