When things aren’t going so well don’t give up. Life is struggle and effort. Life is difficult and extreme competition makes things even tougher.
I will use my Dog Days of Summer group as an example. This first round of offering the program publically is not going so well. I have invested much of my savings and a great deal of time into a program that has 6 people signed up. Out of the six group members only some are actually doing the program. As long as one person is interested I will continue to support that person. This way I will make the life of that one person better. If their life is improved they can help another person. Eventually many people can work towards overcoming harmful traits and making the world a better place.
I question whether the 7 step program will be very popular when most people are concerned primarily with wealth. However one could use only part of the program and achieve what society calls success (at the expense of others). To balance material success with doing what’s good for humanity is much more difficult. I don’t really expect the 7 step program to be extremely popular until we have a war of extinction (nuclear war?). After everyone is tired of having their revenge, then we’ll need to find a way for humanity to live in peace.
Most people want to enjoy the thrill of victory at the risk of survival, but that model is unsustainable. The emotional high of a thrill can lead to useful exploratory behavior. However the thrill of reward and risk needs to be controlled and harnessed for the good of society. If drilling for oil will destroy and entire ocean can that be justified because it thrills a few people? Is the thrill of gross profits a good reason to exterminate life on Earth?
I do believe in competition. I believe in competition with rules that help humanity and the world. Since humans are the dominant species we must take responsibility to protect our habitat.
With competition comes failure. Some behaviors, genes, or societies are successful and some cannot be sustained. Nature always creates more than is needed. Which variations succeed will determine what comes next. It is possible for a society to be structured in a way that promotes risk, competition, and the thrill of success while protecting humanity, the risk taker, and the environment. With a system that reduces risk and safeguards the environment we could increase exploratory behavior and technological advancement while building a civil society.
Struggle and effort is encountered in our emotional and moral lives as well. Regardless of our faith there may come a time when you have big questions that do not have easy answers. Instead of shying away from the truth, engage yourself in a critical debate. Determine what you believe. Shape you Significant Points Of Reference in a way that allows you to safely navigate the stormy sea of life.
Questioning is much more difficult and dangerous than simply accepting what you’re taught. You may find that the truth is not well received by society. Society often has a stake in preserving some vestige of our more primitive animal instincts for its own benefit. If we are to advance as a species and/or as a society we must question and we must initiate change.
Wishing you the very best in dogs and in life,
Andrew Ledford