Of Men and Dogs

On the weekend I went to hear an inspirational and thought provoking talk, which left quite an impression on me. The speaker described his experience of arriving at the airport. While waiting, he happened to be looking around and saw sniffer dogs scouring the luggage. He made some poignant statements, saying that as human beings we are at the apex of the animal kingdom and yet we need dogs to keep us in line. He stressed we are only human for as long as we have ‘humanness’ in us - that capacity to understand and empathise with others. To me, this isn’t about agreement, since every person has their own unique set of values and principles, but it is about being able to perceive another persons view point, especially when it’s different from our own and to get a sense of their pain and suffering. This is what builds bridges and connects people, to do otherwise is a world of ever increasing conflict, war and famine.