From RenChenZa 7 Steps to Personal Development – “Courteous and Considerate behavior is the beginning of good relations with others.” Andrew Ledford © 2000 –2009
It doesn’t really matter if we’re talking about our dog’s behavior or our own – Courteous and Considerate behavior is the beginning of good relations with others. The reckless driver and the neighbor’s annoying dog both can cause bad feelings. If a people are to enjoy the benefits of freedom they need to exercise personal responsibility. When people cannot or will not act responsibly, society will demand than an authority takes control. Taking control usually means suppressing at least some freedom. In this respect irresponsible individuals actually steal freedom from those who are responsible. Only a responsible people can have freedom!
Social irresponsibility often entails enjoying some pleaser at the expense of another. Or perhaps we can think of it as enjoying a reinforcement at the expense of anther. The pleasure of the irresponsible could be avoiding something they don’t like. Two examples that pop into my mind are stopping at red traffic lights and picking up after one’s dog. To the individual both of these acts can be aversive. However, not obeying these cultural rules steals something from other members of society. When the rules drift to far from what’s needed for operational control the system breaks down. When the system breaks society suffers.
Banks don’t want regulation yet they have demonstrated that they’re not responsible. Banks have tried to substitute size and wealth for responsibility. While having an elite profiting at the expense of the majority has worked nicely up until now, society is changing. The social environment is changing. We’re evolving toward a social system that will not tolerate breaking the world’s monetary system so few can profit while harming the majority.
For freedom to reign responsibility must prevail.
Wishing you the best in dogs and in life
Andrew Ledford