The Dog Mentality.

Many years ago, a friend of mine had an Alsatian dog which he cared so much about as if it was a child. One night, the dog suddenly disappeared. The man, his family and some people searched the whole neighborhood for the dog but did not find it. Tired, they all gave up the search to go sleep. Early in the morning, some construction workers came to the street to clear a blocked drainage system. They had barely started work when a faint sound filtered from the interior of the drain. On close examination, the workers discovered the lost dog facing the direction of the debris that was blocking the drain. Completely wearied and dehydrated, the dog was finally evacuated and saved from starvation. Obviously, the dog had mistakenly walked into the drainage system and run into the blockade. All the hapless dog needed was to do a u-turn! But instead of simply turning back around to walk out of the drainage system, it stood there, facing the same direction as if waiting for some miracle to clear the debris from its way. 

Later on, I met with my friend and he narrated the incident to me.

"Animals can be very dumb." he marveled at the dog's stupidity. "In that situation, a human would have simply turned back around to get out of the doldrums."

"Not in all cases..." I shook my head in disagreement. "There are some people who react to issues the same way as your dog did."

When the guy looked confused, I explained to him by citing the example of some individuals, especially women, who are stuck in bad marriages or relationships. Everyday, all they do is whine and cry about their abusive, stagnant marriages or relationships. But in spite of their constant hues and cries, they remain in the moribund relationships while praying and waiting for a miracle. Many therefore will wonder why the affected individuals can't just simply do a u-turn, free themselves from their ugly situations and look elsewhere? This is a dog mentality!

The same principle applies to those who are stuck in dreadful jobs. All they do at all times is complain and feel sad about their jobs. These individuals are not only frustrated but they also make everyone around them at work and at home miserable. Yet, all they need to do is think and look into a different, better career or job within their areas of expertise or skill. This is a dog mentality!

And as petty as it may sound, there are some individuals who also appear stuck in their houses, even though these are rentals, not houses owned. They spend everyday of their lives complaining about all the features of their houses. They dislike everything from their developments to their neighbors, their living rooms, bathrooms and kitchens. Yet, they remain stuck in the same house when all they need to do is a u-turn by moving out of the house and get a different one in another neighborhood! This is a dog mentality!