The Middle Path
This past week, while trying to find the family of a lost dog, the following series of posts involving a (different) “lost dog" emerged. It went like this:
[sheriff]: Does anyone know this dog? It was running loose on XYZ street.
[commenter #1]: People need to stop picking this dog up. It lives at its owners and walks the road daily. This is the third time that the owner is going to have to pay close to $100 to get his dog back because someone is being a hero.
[commenter #2]: Dogs should not run loose.
[commenter #1]: That dog has been running loose on the same property and same road for the last 7 years. One idiot from out of town drives through and picks it up.
[owner of “lost dog”]: This dog will run loose and live it’s best life until she dies. Just because a dog is outside doesn’t mean they are lost, picking up a dog in the county and making them sit in a kennel they aren’t familiar with isn’t helping. She roams free all day and waits for me in the driveway when I get home from work.
[commenter#3]: Dogs should not run loose.
[commenter # etc]: (insert additional perspectives on the matter)
As you can see from the above exchange, there are varying opinions on what it means to be a responsible dog parent and what dogs should and should not do. To one person, letting a dog roam free during the day is irresponsible and dangerous. To another person, keeping a dog inside in a kennel all day is cruel and confining.
Context is also important. In many cities, it likely would be irresponsible to let dogs roam free during the day. But out in the country it is quite common, where some dogs frequently take themselves on walks and visit neighbors as they please.
The point is: different people have different perspectives on what it means for a dog to live its best life and what is and isn't appropriate. Without context and conversation, it can be hard to understand the opposite perspective — especially if it is drastically different than our own.
We can increase our understanding and appreciation of different ways of living without traveling far. If we live in the city, we can head out to the country where we will likely experience plenty of “off leash living.”
Several friends have shared that their perspectives on various heated societal topics have been expanded and sometimes changed entirely by traveling just 20 minutes outside of town.
I continue to hold hope that we will eventually heal our societal fractures by coming together from our opposing positions to understand alternate points of view so that we can one day meet in the middle.
One creative commenter shared via the above thread, "I think she needs a dog tag that reads Don't take me, I am not lost. She's a social butterfly."
A middle path. How refreshing!
As leaders, we can continually work to understand perspectives that are different than our own, and we can keep an eye out for possible Middle Paths.
