DOG WALKING ITSELF

I think it was Marisa who pointed out this picture to me.

A dog walking itself.

In one way this is good, the dog has achieved its independence. The dog is free to go where it wants to go. Every dog, every child, every entrepreneur loves it, don’t they — freedom!

I remember when my mom let me walk downtown all by myself. I thought I had grown up. In one way I had.

And yet, this picture makes me sad, in another way. Where is the dog’s companion, the dog’s best friend. The dog is all alone, walking itself, independent…

Is there not more to real life than being free of others. Who was it that reminded us there is another level in life beyond independence?

It is called interdependence. Now, that is a big word. It means being dependent on each other.

You and I have been ruminating about interdependence for a couple of days now. Football teams, choirs, families, businesses, everyday life — requires working together, some level of needing each other.

The picture of the dog walking itself is missing something, something important.