EOIN BANAHAN
"Learning to live and living to learn"
It has been a very busy week for the whole household, particularly for the wife, whose “fitbit”, a rather curious device which is permanently fixed to the wrist like Captain Kirk’s energise interface in the series Star Trek, has been heard screaming for mercy on more than one occasion. So, it’s not surprising that we decided to get an early night. Lily, (the dog who must be adored), was very much in favour of the idea and was already prostrate on the duvet before I had finished brushing my teeth. As with most families up and down the country on a Friday night, we launched into a heated debate as to the fundamental orientations that drive behaviour. I’m more of a Jungian myself whilst Lily is more of a Freudian, a fact evidenced by her early evening penchant for humping scatter cushions, of which the least said the better. Fortunately, the wife is somewhere in between which is good since the clash between Lily and I, can become quite heated and, thankfully, the wife’s cooler head always prevails. Anyway, Lily mentioned that dogs have similar orientations that drive their behaviour and when I asked for an example, she immediately referred to Fabulous Finn, (see post on 13/04), as an illustration of the ideas-oriented introvert who likes nothing more than to play with theories and concepts. But more interestingly, she referred to his close associate, and sometime muse, called Rosie, as an illustration of a more action-oriented, extrovert who likes to get things done. Well, my jaw dropped, you could have knocked me out with a feather. Carl Jung, would have choked on his Butterzopf. The wife had to jump from the bed because the fitbit, which also monitors heart rate, went off like a fire alarm. Rosie, or as the Fabster sometimes refers to her with affection, Rosita Mamacita, is a fully-charged, canine Lithium battery who is constantly on the go. According to Lily, she is carrying out research into how kinetic energy can be used to address some of the world’s energy needs. Her working hypothesis is that if she can find a way to harness the energy she generates, then she will be able to recharge all the mobile phones in the county of Donegal, where she lives. Unlike Fabulous Finn, who is of a more academic persuasion, Rosie, has a more engineering mind. Apparently too, even when not generating kinetic energy for her research project, she loves to take control of all the gardening duties from her humans who she believes are a couple of feckless wastrels who would sit around all day gorging themselves on natural bone broth, if you let them. Moreover, her female human in particular, is always getting in the way, trying to drive a wedge between her and her male human which, quite frankly, according to Lily, Rosie thinks is somewhat pathetic. Lily told me that when she was talking to Rosie about it, Rosie raised her paw, wiggled it from side to side in a rather disparaging manner, and said, “Huh, girlfrien, (dropped “d” is intentional), she should keep her paws of my man, if she knows what’s good for her”. Well, concerned about this potentially disturbing streak of jealousy, Lily asked the Fabster if he was aware of it, but he just shrugged he shoulders, and rather cryptically quoting the philosopher Wittgenstein, said, “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”, and sauntered off to find a quiet corner for some mindful meditation. I think the lesson to be learned here is that behavior, whether human or dog, is rather complex and, in deference to the great Carl Jung, understanding our fundamental behavioral drivers, may lead us to better understanding ourselves and, who knows, perhaps we will soon find an answer to the world’s energy problems.
1 Comment
Neil McParland
17/4/2021 07:53:20
You definitely described the attributes of our canine family very well. A great read over the breakfast table. Thanks Eoin.
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AuthorI am an organizational development specialist and managing director of RoundRose Associates Ltd Archives
August 2021
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