Manger Vision

"If you don’t think something can be done, then at least don’t stop someone else from doing it. "
--anonymous

The hay fever season is upon us...Itchy eyes, sneezing fits, irritated throat...Not an ideal start to the day, but then again this is life! The alternative (not being alive) is much less attractive :-).
So gratitude is becoming the dominant early morning emotion. Counting one's blessings is now the early morning ritual (also quite a lot of fun!).

I've observed the dog-in-the-manger dynamic often, where someone does not want to do something or thinks it cannot be done, and then prevents anyone else from doing it. It is a pervasive dynamic that plays itself out in the workplace, at home, in social settings, among children, in schools etc. I wonder what is behind this. Is it simply ego? The need to be right? If I say it cannot be done, then suddenly I have a vested interest in proving myself right. I must then resist any attempt to accomplish the impossible task, musn't I? Otherwise my concept of what is possible is refuted. And if I tie that to my identity, then suddenly there is quite a lot at stake. I become a snarling ferocious dog in the manger (DIAM). Of course, outwardly I may need to appear professional, or not disagreeable, so I may fight my battle in a subtle way. But ultimately, there is a negative agenda aimed at proving me right - it cannot be done.

Now consider this dynamic being played out in the world by millions of people, some of whom are in positions of power and influence. What would be the effect of this on the world's progress? What if the bold creative go-getters are constantly stifled by the DIAMs)? What would be the world's future? But what if the DIAM is rational and reasonable? What if there are very good reasons for thinking that it cannot be done?

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." - George Bernard Shaw