The Dog in The Manger

"Communication usually fails, except by accident," the Moon greeted after saying Basmalah and Salam. "In a formal communication, effective communication is needed. There are three meanings in effective communication, first, we got what we wanted—a moment of positive emotional connection or a tangible result. Second, we've been understood from our point of view, and that was communicated back to us. And third, the other party seems fine with the exchange; there were no indications of uncertainty, frustration, fear, or even anger. Hence, you have to notice all of the background structuring that makes your talk, understood. You have to quickly pull together, a collection of words whose single, clear meaning, will describe your image, and you have to assemble them into a recognizably ordered, nongraphical message, to speak.

When you speak, you gesture. Gesture is a fundamental component of language that contributes meaningful and unique information to a spoken message and reflects the speaker’s underlying knowledge and experiences. According to multiple social findings, body gestures and body postures, can communicate whether the listener is receptive, accepting, open or is resisting the message conveyed.

As usual, I'll tell you about my trip to a land called Bhumi Kukka. My radiance, highlighting three places. At the first place, I saw four beasts, the Lion, the Bear, the Monkey, and the Fox.

The Tyrant of the forest, the Lion, issued a proclamation, commanding all his subjects to repair immediately to his royal den. Among the rest, the Bear made his appearance, but, pretending to be offended with the steams, which issued from the Monarch’s apartments, was imprudent enough to hold his nose in His Majesty’s presence. This insolence, was so highly resented, that the Lion in a rage laid him dead at his feet.

The Monkey, observing what had passed, trembled for his carcase, and attempted to conciliate favour by the most abject flattery. He began with protesting that, for his part, he thought the apartments were perfumed with Arabian spices; and, exclaiming against the rudeness of the Bear, admired the beauty of His Majesty’s paws, so happily formed, he said, to correct the insolence of clowns. This fulsome adulation, instead of being received as he expected, proved no less offensive than the rudeness of the Bear, and the courtly Monkey was in like manner extended by the side of Sir Bruin.

And now His Majesty cast his eye upon the Fox. 'Well, Reynard,' said he, 'And what scent do you discover here?' 'Great Prince,' replied the cautious Fox, 'My nose was never esteemed my most distinguishing sense; and at present, I would by no means venture to give my opinion, as I have unfortunately got a terrible cold.' The Fox was still alive, and what the Fox kept in mind, that watch what you say, in the presence of greater power.

At the second place, I saw a donkey and a lapdog. Before going on, let me tell you this, 'People that live by example, should do well to look very narrowly of not saying, or doing things at a venture: for that may become one man, which would be absolutely intolerable in another, under differing circumstances.'

So, I saw an Ass, whose Master also owned a Lapdog. This Dog was a favorite and received many a pat and kind word from his Master, as well as choice bits from his plate. Every day the Dog would run to meet the Master, frisking playfully about and leaping up to lick his hands and face.

All this, the Ass saw with much discontent. Though he was well fed, he had much work to do; besides, the Master hardly ever took any notice of him.

Now, the jealous Ass got it into his silly head that all he had to do to win his Master’s favor, was to act like the Dog. So one day he left his stable and clattered eagerly into the house.

Finding his Master seated at the dinner table, he kicked up his heels and, with a loud bray, pranced giddily around the table, upsetting it as he did so. Then he planted his forefeet on his Master’s knees and rolled out his tongue to lick the Master’s face, as he had seen the Dog do. But his weight upset the chair, and Ass and man rolled over together in the pile of broken dishes from the table.

The Master was much alarmed at the strange behavior of the Ass, and calling for help, soon attracted the attention of the servants. When they saw the danger the Master was in from the clumsy beast, they set upon the Ass and drove him with kicks and blows back to the stable. There they left him to mourn the foolishness that had brought him nothing but a sound beating.

Behavior that is regarded as agreeable in one, might be very rude and impertinent in another.

On the third place, I saw a dog in the Manger.

I watched him asleep in a manger filled with hay, then was awakened by the Cattle, which came in tired and hungry, from working in the field. But the Dog would not let them get near the manger, and snarled and snapped as if it were filled with the best of meat and bones, all for himself.

The Cattle looked at the Dog in disgust. “How selfish he is!” said one. “He cannot eat the hay and yet he will not let us eat it who are so hungry for it!” the others chimed in.

Now the farmer came in. When he saw how the Dog was acting, he seized a stick and drove him out of the stable with many a blow for his selfish behavior, and said, 'Don't sacrifice others for your own pleasure!'

Then the Moon wrapped up by saying, "We need to sustain relationships with others in order to get what we think we need and want from life in a good way. As the first start, we need an awareness, to reveal the automatic and hidden processes that influence everyday talk, including our deep cultural learning and the nonconscious part of the mind, where much of this learning is stored. And Allah knows best."

Citations & Reference:
- J.B. Rundell, Aesop's Fables, Cassell, Petter and Galpin

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