Has the US gone ‘Coco’?

If I believed in reincarnation, I would seriously wonder about the past life of our puppy. 

Coco, who originated from two litters born at the same time which were amalgamated into one big mass of dogs; one of eleven, has a zest for life that is incorrigible.  So aside from sleeping in between pillows in the most bizarre and strange positions, hiding his head in the corner when he’s scared (I assume those to be reminiscent of the pile of puppies from whence he came), burrowing in mud immediately following his bath, chewing on his own foot and seeking out the garden sprinkler on a regular basis...   

 

He has a fascination for socks and underwear that he steals from the laundry basket and hides in the cushions of the sofa...

Yes, I know..., a huge embarrassing moment just waiting to happen.  Can’t wait until I have guests in my house sitting on my sofa and voila, behold, in lieu of a napkin, we have... 

Needless to say he has some seriously dodgy, doggy proclivities. 

But this is not new; we all seem to have taken a little baggage from our past.  The US election results were announced first week of November and I cannot help but wonder if the results aren’t remnant of some unearthed, age-old skeletons that many would prefer remain forgotten.   

For two weeks ago a country that is supposed to be the watchdog of democracy, freedom and prosperity (to those of us situated in floundering democracies), demonstrated that instead of constructive vision and integrity, racism and sexism now gets you to one of the most powerful positions in the world; a position that is ironically supposed to uphold the value of humanity. 

A serious bone of contention, I’d say. 

The scary part is: that when you fail to deal with your past, it usually destroys your future. 

Talk to us, we know... it’s a pursuit of objectives SA is also busy with.  Corruption, violence, racism,... we too are working hard to pee on the hard earned progress made under the constructive leadership of the likes of former SA President Nelson Mandela.    

     

I just hope that for the sake of Americans and the rest of the world, US President Elect Trump’s vision is to truly make America great and not to be the biggest dog with the largest bone at the expense of the United States and the rest of the world. 

For if destructive ideology got him into the white house, I for one, seriously have my doubts as to his intention to be America’s knight in shining armor rather than the dog who bares his teeth at everyone else... Grrrr. 

I believe Trump’s election to office is a reflection of something called ‘mathematical visioning’ ¹ which is a calculated reflection of what the [almost] majority have been thinking but not saying aloud.  But thanks to a secret ballot, that voice has now been heard. 

Unfortunately sometimes, it really is a good idea to hide your dirty laundry, not air it out in public. 

And hopefully in a hiding place a little more strategic than Coco’s. 

For according to Trump’s account of the American reality, many Americans may find themselves falling short of Trump’s definition of ‘American’... in his quest to restore “law and order,” “secure borders “ and provide “protection from terrorism.” 

And Barack, sorry, US President Barack Obama, you might be one of them.  But then again, since you have accumulated a large pile of bones, maybe you can stay... 

Needless to say, Trump has clearly communicated his intention to do more ‘sniffing around’. 

Destructive leaders like to brand themselves as the ‘solution in times of trouble’ and ‘the only one who can’ and who leverage fear and control as opposed to influence as the stick of change and tell you that it’s the best thing you can do ‘for your children’. 

All I can say is that from a leadership perspective; beware the lone wolf. 

So like Coco, who exhibits no tact and no consideration as to the consequences of his actions, we find that for the sake of all those involved and in a proactive effort to avoid the potential embarrassment he can cause, he, like tyranny, sometimes requires a leash.

¹ Hamburger, Yair Amichai. (2000) Mathematical Leadership Vision.  The Journal of Psychology. 134(6), 601-611. 

Time to Talk...

I had a bit of a rough week this week and so aside from not blogging there is a running list of other things that just didn’t get done.  (I have to let people know that my blogging is likely to fall to about once a week as my schedule at the moment simply doesn’t allow me to give blogging the diligence it deserves).

That being said, I attended the memorial service of a friend who was just in his low fifties from cancer this past week.  He was a good man, but then again I have not yet attended the funeral of a bastard yet.  Either they never die or it is simply culturally unacceptable to speak ill of the dead (incidentally that seems to be a universal cultural norm).   I am not sure which, but in any case, that was not applicable here.

I couldn’t help but look at the situation and listen to this man’s friends, family and colleagues and wonder what would be said about me in my absence in the event of my passing.  Culturally I suppose nothing too ill-gotten would be mentioned, but somehow I couldn’t help thinking, that isn’t it sad that one lives their life and everyone else gets the last word on the matter?

So I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be great to plan my own eulogy.  If nothing else, I would have the last word which I think is somewhat appropriate.  It was my life after all.   

Wouldn’t it be a dream come true to have the last word where no one can argue.  You could say anything and there would be no debate.   

You can’t argue with a dead person.    

Then I needed to laugh because I would imagine the audience would go away wondering if they actually knew the person that they thought they knew. 

That, and I wonder when I would finish because I seem to have something to say about just about everything. 
 
I suppose everyone has sides, but sometimes I wonder if my life is more compartmentalised than the average person.  I have boundaries and distinctions between private, personal, professional, home, hobbies, interests, sports, academics, internet presence, etc., and there are only a handful of people who know me in more than one area.      
   
That being said, I suppose it is also possible that given the groups tend not to overlap, I could have a whole eulogy planned and even in my death be left with a lot to say and no one to say it too. 
   
So perhaps death is a good reason to keep quiet after all... and life is the time for your voice to be heard and for you to say the things that should be said.