“In making observations in the daily conduct of human affairs throughout the world and sometimes with certain Unariun students, I am often reminded of one of those classical stories and bits of philosophy left to posterity by Aesop.

This story concerns a certain dog who, after the manner of dogs, spent much of his time foraging among the dump heaps of the neighborhood. Now it happened one day that this dog found a particularly choice morsel, a large bone with succulent bits of meat still adhering to it. Eagerly grasping his prize in his jaws, he started to trot back home where he could better enjoy his repast and, on the way, chanced to pass over a footbridge under which was a pool of water; and as he was passing over, he chanced to look over the edge and saw his reflection. As a dog, he knew nothing of the laws of optics and so, thinking this was another dog approaching him to rob him of his prize, he opened his mouth to growl and in doing so, lost his grasp on his bone which fell into the water.

How often it is we see the emotional interplay of peoples, of communities and nations, growling at each other and, in their emotion, losing the many and obvious blessings of everyday living which could be theirs with a less emotional conduct. The arms race between this country and Russia is a typical example of growling at imaginary dogs.

However, we can, to some extent, partially philosophize the conduct of nations and people. They, like the dog, do not really know the scientific reasons behind life, what life is, proper conduct, etc., even though they may profess, in their religion, a higher and less reactionary way of life, they will, at any given opportunity, growl at the next imaginary dog. (more…)