Sunday, 23 February
 |
| Jake |
Good Morning Jessicca…
I took Jake, the dog, to a large open field a few miles from
where I live. I wanted him to be able to
run about freely without being stuck on a leash. He almost immediately got the idea and took
off. The trouble was he looked to be
getting as far from me as he possibly could without any intention of coming
back. I began calling after him but he
might as well have been stone deaf. I
yelled his name, “Jake!” The truth is I
don’t think he knows his name. He was
left to my care probably about a couple of years ago when he was ten. I’ve never known him to respond to his
name. So I yelled “Come!” Actually, he’s not familiar with any
commands, either. Finally, I just
decided to endlessly yell after him as he set out on his new path in life. Eventually he turned towards me as if
wondering what all the commotion was about.
He was already a couple of hundred yards ahead and only briefly looked
my way before continuing his dog trot for parts unknown. The tables were turned. Without the leash I was no longer top dog of
our little pact. It was my turn to
follow his lead. I began running after
him. Before long he would reach a four
lane thoroughfare and he’s never shown much sense regarding cars. True to form he left the vastly interesting
environment of the field in order to race up the middle of the street. Fortunately there were very few cars at the
time. I was horrified a car might get
him before I had the chance to throttle him myself.
I probably ran another half mile before he allowed me to
catch up with him. Thank God the dog is
old. Patience is not among my natural
characteristics but I do possess a bit of reasoning. If I punish him on the spot what chance have
I to catch him the next time he springs loose?
I merely take the leash from my back pocket and snap it to his
collar. Once again we’ve become a
chained tandem just like always. We
finish our walk. He and I have some work
to do.
I’m not crazy about this sort of relationship. It constrains both of us. Jake wants to snoop about. I want to snoop about. He’s a dog and I’m not. We don’t want to snoop about the same
things. Had we been in wide open spaces
of desert I would have said “I’ll see you when I see you.” Civilization isn’t healthy for dogs roaming
free. Sure a dog can die from a
rattlesnake bite but, to me, that’s more acceptable than being mauled by a
car. Rattlesnakes are an acceptable
risk. Cars aren’t.
There’s this Danish philosopher named Kierkegaard. He talks about personal truth. It’s not
like the objective truth we associate with math and science. Personal truth doesn’t even have to be true like
the equation 2 + 2 = 4 is true. Personal
truth is more about what it is we as
individuals believe. This is
important because what we truly believe determines how it is we act. I may or may not be correct in my belief
about something but the action I take based upon this belief does create a
truth. Did I or did I not walk away from
an accident victim: true or false? The importance of personal truth to me as an
individual is whether my actions are sincere. Am I acting true to my beliefs? Do I live an authentic life or am I dozing through
one meaningful after another?
Our education is filled with objective truths – the Earth is
round. Few of them have much to do with
how we live our lives. On the other
hand, personal truths are inescapable facts about us – you and me. They not only govern our actions, they are our actions. We are not our intentions. We are what it is we do. Aren’t we… ?
Love,
Dad
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