Rabbits, rabbits everywhere
Published: Sat, 04/29/17
I went up on the Beeches quite a bit earlier than I usually do this morning. It would have been nice to see the sun rise but the sky is very overcast. I only saw one other person with a dog but what I did notice was the number of rabbits chasing around. Two rushed across in front of me as I entered the wood. In the open area at the top of the hill there were rabbits everywhere although they headed for their burrows as I got close. From say, 7 am until dusk you are never more than 30 feet from a dog when on the Beeches. I actually feel a bit out of place taking a walk up there without a dog. Sometimes dog owners tell me I should get a dog as if it would somehow make it legitimate for me to be in a place where everyone else walks dogs and would not be there if they were not exercising their pets. I can’t say I really care one way or the other. At least the local dog owners seem to be pretty conscientious about clearing up after
their animals and there are several bright red bins for the purpose which seem to be regularly emptied. (I wonder what they do with the contents? No, on second thoughts I don’t want to know.)
So, the dogs and their owners regard the Beeches as their rightful domain. Yet, go and walk there an hour earlier than the average dog owner can get out of bed and the rabbits are everywhere. Judging by the holes in the ground then the night must be the time for the badgers. I have not yet taken a walk up there at night to see for myself but maybe I will. (Having said that, I picked up some litter to put in the bin this morning and realised that the silvery packets had contained condoms. So, perhaps the badgers are not the only active creatures up on the beeches at night!)
So, at different times of the day a different population is evident in exactly the same area. Yet, the average dog owner is probably only aware of other dogs. Human society can become very much the same. If we only mix with people we think are like us and only hear ideas and views that correspond with our normal picture of the world then we can come to assume that the world is made in our own image. This will always be an illusion, albeit a comfortable one. The problem with comfortable illusions is that it can be extremely uncomfortable having them shattered. Here in the UK we have a general election coming up in June. I personally think that Theresa May is doing the right thing asking for her own mandate to govern the country. There was a lot of baggage carried over from the 2015 election which she could well do without. On the other hand one cannot help being a bit cynical about the timing. The prevailing wisdom is that
with Jeremy Corbin as leader of the Labour party and Brexit well under way then most people will have no reason to vote for anyone apart from the Conservatives. I can see the logic in that. If you walk a dog on the Beeches at the usual times you might conclude that the only animals that frequent the hill top and surrounding woods are canines. Vary the routine slightly and keep your eyes open and you will see the rabbits and evidence of badgers and randy teenagers. Mrs May would do well to open her eyes too as there are going to be some similar surprises on the 8th of June.
Stav is about a lot more than learning how to deal with people just like you. Learning to see the web as a whole teaches us how to see connections which are much broader, deeper and longer term (past and future) than just the relationships we are comfortable with. The Five principles remind us that whatever role we might feel comfortable in, a middle class Karl position perhaps?, there are those who feel excluded and dispossessed as well as others who are willing to use force and violence to get their own way. Just because most of the people you generally associate with are like you does not mean that the people with different experiences and attitudes do not exist. Consider the five principles, all are represented and will make their presence felt, often when least expected.
In May and June I am running two seminars to explore the Web of Orlog http://somersetstav.co.uk/web.html as a practical guide to life and relating to other people and the five principles as a basis for resolving conflicts http://somersetstav.co.uk/principles.html
Regards
Graham
PS It seems that we have to cancel the Seminar that was planned for Minneapolis next month. We had some sign ups but not enough to cover the cost of my flight and renewing insurance cover too. I am sorry not to be going and we will see what we can do in the Autumn instead. However, the Stav training with Ivar Hafskjold is definitely going ahead in September, details here http://www.stavcamp.org/