This is the way circuses of old trained elephants. When the elephant is a baby they would tie it with rope to a stake that is driven into the ground. Being young and weak, the elephant would be unable to get away from the stake. The belief that the stake and rope are stronger than it becomes ingrained in its mind.
Even when the elephant grows up into a beast that weighs over a ton, it would still believe that the rope is stronger than it. It would never try to get away, having faith on the experience it gained as a child that the rope simply cannot be defied. There are stories of grown elephants tied to such stakes burning to death in fires, because they never tried to run when they were tied down.
One should always inspect and question one’s beliefs in their own mind. Does this belief make sense? How did it get here? Is it useful to me or does it hurt me? Do this often lest you become an elephant yourself.
Temple of Zagan 