The White Elephant

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The White Elephant, he sits by the  covered in-ground pool in a middle-class neighborhood, covered in snow, cracked. His white paint peeling off to reveal elephant gray.

I knew there was a significance to white elephants, but I didn't know exactly what. Que Google and Wikipedia. They're a symbol of a possession you can't get rid of, but the cost to keep it outweighs its value. But you probably knew that already. It is often used to describe fruitlessly expensive government projects that end up being pointless, like a billion dollar submarine project that is never used, or a highway to nowhere.

The term comes from Southeast Asian tradition where a White Elephant (a real one) is a sign that a monarch was just and his kingdom was peaceful and prosperous. It is said that before the birth of the Buddha, his mother dreamt of receiving lotus flowers, a symbol of wisdom and purity, from a white elephant. White Elephants were an honor to receive as a gift, but had costly upkeep and could not be to much practical use because of their sacred and protected status.

So in Eastern tradition, a white elephant is a priceless symbol and a honor to receive, albeit expensive to feed. A symbol for honorable rule and a peaceful, prosperous land. Western tradition uses a white elephant as a symbol for fruitless government projects that costs a ton and don't result in enough military kills to justify their costs.

Something was missed in translation, but in a way, it seems appropriate. Value isn't always about dollars.