Sensible Advice

Aesop in Africa: The Danger of Envy

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The Dove and the Zebra

Deep in the Drakensberg mountains in South Africa a Zebra heard a dove calling. It was the sweetest sound the Zebra had ever heard. He wished his voice was as beautiful. The Zebra demanded that the dove tell him what the food was she ate that gave her such a beautiful voice. The dove replied, “The only food I have is the dew on the grass in the early morning.” From that moment on the Zebra drank only dew. Not long after, the Zebra died of hunger.

The Lesson: Envy of the unattainable can be fatal.

Based on an Aesop Fable

Are the majority always right?

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If, in a referendum, the majority vote that 2+2=5 this does no make 5 the correct answer.

Inspired by Socrates’s reply to Melesias in “Laches, or Courage” by Plato

Action that causes lack of hearing – a Warning

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“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Doormats and Long Term Goals

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This magnificent rocket knows where it is going. Do you?

Are you clear in your mind about your long term goals? If you are not, you will end up working on someone else’s goals. If you don’t plan to go somewhere you will end up nowhere. Get clear about your long term goals – now.

It’s the secret to not continuing to be a doormat.*

  • The doormat idea is from Jordan Peterson

The Dangers of being too Agreeable

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Grave dangers await people who are too agreeable. One danger is that in negotiations they will end up arguing the opponent’s case better than their own. Another danger is that agreeable people may be tempted to pursue “Peace at all costs”. This can end with those agreeable people paying most of the costs. Not a good outcome!

How to Handle Anxiety

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Your anxiety may stem from not having enough information about what is worrying you.

So, next time you are very anxious about something, make a conscious decision to stop worrying and instead concentrate on finding out more information.

As my late grandfather apparently used to say: “The greatest tragedies exist in the imagination”.

Each Individual, Climate Change, the Dung Beetle and the Starfish

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“As an individual I cannot do anything to save our world’s climate. That fight is for the big nations. I personally cannot make a difference. So, I will do nothing”

Edmund Burke would strongly disagree with your attitude and admonish you thus!

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” – Edmund Burke

And the tiny African Dung Beetle would just laugh at you!

So – Put that one starfish back in the sea.

Reading and Digestion

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The next time you read something, consider Edmund Burke’s observation:

‘To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.’

The Serpent and the Dove

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Jesus advised His team:”Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” KJV

Why is this very wise advice? Have a look at a good Bible Commentary on Matthew 10:16

Don’t Lose Height

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Do not loose height when climbing. I knew someone spent a considerable amount of time in the mountains of Yugoslavia during WWII. Once during the 1950s he and I were walking up large granite hill in the Matopo Hills near Bulawayo in the then Southern Rhodesia. His advice: When you climb a hill, if possible, take a line that does not go down and then up. This way you will not lose the height you have gained and save energy