Worldly Wisdom Wednesday – Missed Points
Posted By Randy on December 19, 2012
This is a mild example, but the message of pictures like this makes my eye twitch. Best of all, the magic of facebook brings us more examples every day!
I ask why the definition of a good dog is often, “You can do anything to him.” That wouldn’t make any sense if phrased in terms of other relationships: “I have a really good wife. You can do anything to her.” Creepy! ~ Madeline Clark Gabriel
The quotation above came from an excellent article titled Safety Aside, What Happened to Respect?, brought to my attention by our Esteemed Friend Silvia Jay. I urge you to read it through and absorb what it has to say before going further.
Following on last Wednesday’s introduction to what we’ll be talking about for the next few WWW episodes, today we’ll be looking at what I like to call the Great Divide. I wish that my use of that term described the terra incognita lying between the way a thing really is, and the way it is perceived to be, for such a case as that would permit an easy mapping of the unknown terrain through the eradication of ignorance by education and study. Problem is, we don’t always get what we wish for.
Rather, I use “Great Divide” to describe a state created when willful ignorance sold and bought as truth brings about an unwillingness to understand the way a thing really is in favour of embracing a false “knowing” based on the way it is desired to be. The example I’ve chosen to illustrate this is one I know a fair bit about – Dogs.
I’ve quoted J. Allen Boone before and will continue to whenever it suits my purpose. In fact, I’m going to do it again right now because, as is said, truer words were never spoken – “There’s facts about Dogs, and then there’s opinions about them. The Dogs have the facts, and the humans have the opinions. If you want the facts about the Dog, always get them straight from the Dog. If you want opinions, get them from humans.”
For a Dog living in the society of Man, tolerance and understanding are required on both sides. A Dog must have a sufficient level of tolerance and understanding to permit safe and comfortable coexistence with Humans, and Humans must reciprocate in equal measure. This situation grows Trust built on one key ingredient – MUTUAL RESPECT. There is no sliding scale of Respect to be applied differently to Humans, Dogs, Deer, Trees, your personal and professional conduct, or operation of dangerous machinery. There is only Respect.
I’ll give you a week to study and talk on this, then we’ll meet here again.
Well said, Randy. I love that Boone quote also and used it before.
I’d say that not only must we reciprocate respect, but we may initiate it and lead by example as leaders should, and authentic leaders do.
What I often see is the opposite: respect is demanded from the dog first, and if he is confused or intimidated and aggresses in defence, the human takes that lead and reciprocates with aggression.
Indeed Silvia, we must initiate respect, give space and time to understand, and always lead by example. Back in my flying days, we were taught that if you’re trying to open a hatch or protective cover on an airplane, and find you must use force to do it, stop right there because you’re doing it wrong. I find that a sound metaphor for a lot of things in life.