Wednesday, October 8, 2014
The backpack metaphor of life
One should take the time to watch the movie “Up in the Air” starring George
Clooney and pay attention to his “backpack” metaphor when he does his “your
fired” speech in front of an audience or those unfortunate enough to be fired
by him or his protégé. There are valuable lessons to be learned in the manner
this is presented and explained. It can be applied universally to any work or
life setting if you know the complete meaning of such metaphor and how it
applies to your life.
The message
is simple and can be completely understood by many as the way to see life’s
struggles and challenges. It is at the very least a moment where you come to
grip with the realities of your own life from the world around you. This metaphor
can allow you to take into the wisdom put into the effort to explain life as it
is for you.
Life is a constant emotional struggle. It has its ups and
downs and sometimes we tend to focus on the downs rather than the positive
things. This backpack can be filled with joyous moments or episodes of drama or
doom. The reality is how you balance the two and make carrying the backpack
less of a burden or worthwhile doing.
The backpack theory is a realistic perception of your
life. Carrying a backpack that is too light may seem to give you the impression
there is nothing but air in your life. On the other side, a backpack too heavy
can become a burden and slow you down. It all depends how you determine your
own strengths, your weaknesses and your perseverance to handle these burdens.
Whether the straps of the backpack cuts into your
shoulders is an individual character only you can define. Whether the contents
of the backpack are worth the effort to carry is also a personal decision only
you can make. There is a definite emotional connection between you and the
backpack. It is what makes you function, act or do the things you do in life.
For some the empty backpack is by choice or misfortune.
If they chose not to be involved in relationships, having family closeness or
engaged in an active social life, then the backpack may be light to carry. It may
also however, feel empty and needing some attention. The reality may be your
life is lacking emotional fulfillment and satisfaction.
If you go the other way where the backpack is too heavy
and you could be maintaining too many relationships that are counterproductive
or hard to handle. You may need to learn
to release some of these items you are packing to make your life more balanced.
You are after all, free to do so if you want to make that choice. How you
balance your life is very important.
The backpack can make you think about your priorities in
life. It is both insightful emotionally and creates a moment in time for you to
do some deep thinking and determine who you are, what you want in life and
where you are going. Filling the backpack with those things you need to accomplish
such goals is the secret to life and the balance of your heart.
So ask yourself, what else do I lack or need? What should
I let go off and move on with my life? One must be cautious in taking in or
releasing such things in your life as they carry an emotional attachment only
you can feel or care about. Thus we have choices to make and make often to
manage the backpack we carry through life every day. The balance is usually
between what you can handle and what you can’t.
Simplified, remember there are emotional assets here to
take into consideration as well. Nothing is simple and nothing can be ignored
when it comes to managing your life. You almost always carry those things
around with you because you either want them or need them.
Sometimes, you must ask yourself, what do I want and what
do I need. It is quite a difference in weight and responsibilities. There are
some things you need but there are almost always some things you want. Whatever
is essential to you will likely go into the backpack of life.
Ask yourself – is my backpack filled with family and good
friends? Is it filled with moments of happiness and achievements and amazing
experiences? Is it too light or too heavy? Is the backpack strong enough to
carry it all or do you need a stronger backpack? The biggest challenge knowing
what amount of things you can carry and handle. It is after all, a meaningful
way to add weight to your life and be grateful for what you have. On the other
hand, it should contain all those essential things you need to sustain life.
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Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Dog Abuse, Bad dog owners, a misunderstood myth?
When you want a pet do you buy one from the pet store or the
animal control shelter? Do you select or prefer to get one for free and look out for its best interest
or are you thinking only of yourself when you pick one out. Most importantly,
do you intend for this pet to be a partner in life or just another animal to
keep an eye on your property and bark when a stranger approaches your door?
There are endless questions regarding choosing a pet but the most important one
you should ask is will you love it.
Every year, millions of dogs are sold, kept and abused. Animal
lovers want the absolute best for their dogs but there are many sick people out
there who abuse this relationship between man and animals. They either don’t
treat them right or they should never have gotten one to begin with as they
aren’t good pet owners and do not respect their rights to co-exist with man.
Most animals give their love unconditionally no matter how
harsh you treat them. They are substantially depended on you for all their
needs and do what is considered a meager service of being a loyal companion or
a guardian of you domain. Regardless, their worst fear is your disappointment
or neglect of them when they let you down. Strangely, they have other fears as
well.
Dogs have the fear of being hurt. Some are slapped, punched,
kicked or worse and are defenseless to protect themselves. As the laws are
written, any dog who defends itself against is automatically put down or euthanized
because of society’s fear they are bad dogs. Bad dogs are dogs that bite, scratch,
jump or otherwise injure a person even when they are playing. Dogs can’t speak
so they can’t defend themselves and explain their motives for doing what they
did.
They are just put to death and that is that. No explanation
needed. There is no argument whether or not the bite, scratch or any other act
was justified. They are wrong in the eyes of society. Good dogs don’t do such
things. Yet it is this fear of man that makes dogs act the way they do. For example,
you buy a cage and you put your dog inside a cage instead of a long chain in
the yard.
Both are wrong but one can say that one is better than the
other. In time, both the chain and cage will ruin any good dog and cause them
to go bad. The crate is a tool for confinement and control. It is usually much
smaller than it should be for the size of the dog used to put in there. An alternative
to a cage is a dog house but even dog houses can be too small for the dog as it
grows and outlives the purpose of such shelter.
Combined with a chain and there is limited to no freedom for
that dog. It can only go where the length of the chain lets them and it cannot
escape the elements of the weather if the dog house is too small. So is crating
a dog harmful. Is chaining a dog so bad it shouldn’t be done? What is so
harmful about putting a dog inside a crate or on a chain that causes it to be
so wrong? What can be done to undo such harm and restore the dog’s faith in its
master to be treated right?
The answer is yes, it is very harmful to crate a dog or
chain it. This method creates behavioral problems that may lead to other
problems. Crating or chaining a dog causes the dog to be isolated and separated
from the very humans they were meant to serve, please or keep company. This type
of confinement breaks their spirit and makes them change how they feel about
their purpose in this arrangement between man and dog.
In a busy world, the dog is often forgotten. When you add
the time for man to work, sleep and take care of things around the house, the
hours left for the dog is minimized and almost non-existent. These hours add up
and there is no denying it impacts the dog’s health and relationship with the
family or master. It becomes a burden and neglected more often than not. The cage,
chain or dog house become their only possession and when time goes by, this is
part of their territorial domain they must defend and protect so not to lose
whatever is theirs.
Without the interaction of people the crate, cage, chain or
dog house is just an empty den where they live. They become den animals without
the sense of domestication that makes them different from other wild animals. In
a sense you alter their behaviors when you isolate them and neglect them. Even wolves
who have pups don’t live in a den any longer than they need to raise their
pups. Eight weeks after they are born, they go out into the wild and the den is
abandoned.
Caged, chained or isolated dogs can’t leave their den so it
becomes part of their lives. There are locked or restrained to move about
freely. There are no animals in this world that love to be caged, chained or
restrained to a limited movement. Nobody likes to be caged or locked up or
chained up. These animals are forced to endure whatever comes their way and
have to protect it, defend it or accept it no matter what the reasons are for
such adversity.
Man is their guardian because they chose to have an animal
as its pet, companion or protector. They should allow their pet or dog the
freedom that is reasonably allowed under the law and living conditions to
exist. They have a right to be given their partial freedom and not be locked up
or forced to live in a small confined space. It is best the dog bonds with a
human rather than bond with its crate or dog house or chain. Sadly, that is
exactly what happens when the dog is neglected and abused under such conditions.
It is forced to choose which one is closer to them.
The crate, cage, chain or dog house is an inadequate substitute
for a human. Yet it is done daily. Tragically, these dogs become less playful,
more aggressive and lack socially accepted life skills that makes them appear
to be threatening or harmful to kids or grownups as they are no misunderstood
and no longer the cute puppy they brought home from the store, the animal
shelter or a freebie by a friend or neighbor.
Before that happens, most dogs will endure living on this
earth without love. Love, affection and attention is their most wanted quality
in humans. They endure this void for a very long time but even time doesn’t
stand still and creeps up on the dog’s ability to cope with loneliness, neglect
and abuse. Most cannot undo what they have done and the dog is put down, given
away or set free somewhere in the middle of nowhere and abandoned.
Thus dogs are fearful of humans and their relationship
during their time spent together. If a dog is kept in extreme isolation,
confined by cage, chain or other restraint, they will not bond with people but
rather they bond with their own possessions such as the crate or cage or chain
they are bound to.
It’s really that simple. Dogs cannot learn to adapt, learn
or overcome their fears if they are not taught how to behave and interact with
humans. It also makes them less likely to be successfully trained as they live
in a fearful environment where they are not confident how the owner or master
will treat them.
This is where you tread on dangerous grounds and cause the dog
to act or misbehave contrary to expectations because you, the owner, have
failed to prepare your dog for interactions, training or any other kind of
purpose for they have no learned to cope with the change in their world.
Monday, October 6, 2014
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