Lessons on Contentment and Self-Worth from The Dog and His Reflection

A dog once discovered a juiced bone. Enthusiastic with his gift, he held it firmly in his teeth and skipped off, savoring it quietly. On his way he passed a little bridge across a quiet pond. He looked down and found his reflection in the water below, but he didn’t know it was just a reflection. Instead, he thought of it as one more dog with a bigger, juicier bone.

Greedy enough, the dog decided he also wanted that other bone. Attempting to scare him off and clutch his bone, he opened his mouth to bark at the “other dog” in the water and impulsively did so. But as soon as he did, his bone fell out of his mouth with a splash and quickly sank out of sight.

Now without dinner, the dog hung around at the pond, knowing too late that he’s been deprived of his cherished supper by his avarice. And once he knew that we sometimes lose what we have because we looked for more, then knew that he really had more, it made for him a wiser and sadder guy. Focusing on greed, contentment and the dangers of ill-considered longing, the oldest story, The Dog and His Reflection offers lessons beyond measure. “Despite the fact that it might seem straightforward, they write a story of a tale whose lesson may influence us much in our behavior and orientation to life.”

Lessons.

A little lesson from this story:

Greed Might cause loss. The gist is that our avarice might take us away from what we have. The dog’s greed for the “other bone” in the story blinds him to the value of the one he owns. He becomes empty when he releases his bone to grasp at an illusion. This resonates deeply in our mind—that if we want more, we will pay no attention to what we already have, possibly getting let down or worse, missing out on that gift altogether. In terms of everything from relationships and money to personal success in the real world, this class of teaching can be applied as well. The appetite to move beyond might overwhelm our ability to appreciate what we have, and bring us to this realization of our initial joy and stability.

Value Your Work. The tale urges us to value what we do have and perceive its value. We are generally left feeling miserable when looking always does not give us something “better” that we can hold. And by appreciating what we can, we can feel more complete and reduce the impetus to seek trivial rewards.

Illusions Might be Deceptive. In the story, after unwittingly stumbling upon another dog with better bones in his own mirror, the dog becomes romantically smitten. That may reflect our nature of mind being misled by illusion (social media) but many of us will eventually be guilty of believing that, for wealth, relationships, or success, “others have it better than us”. However, that fear or lack of knowledge sometimes clouds our perception. This is the lesson you have to be aware to be the one, not be careless and not be reactive based on looks or assumption. We should be clear-headed and not go so far that goal chasing is nothing that is good or existent to us before judgement.

Contentment Releases Joy. The parable also teaches us that happiness can only come from a place of contentment. The human craving for so much more — for money, goods, and success — can sometimes blind us. It says that in a satisfied society, we are able to make a very good life. This is not a perfect life, but as a way of living, a way to settle for contentment in our life rather than always looking for what we lack. To embrace satisfaction is to set aside the anxiety and angst of an unending quest.

Self-Control and Awareness. The dog’s natural answer to chase the other bone bet on ignorance in its weak links, or lack of self control. He discards that which he has for an illusory appearance, without thinking and regrets it. Mindfulness, or awareness of our thoughts and feelings, can help us to avoid making the same mistakes. Self-control is how we are able to assess results before we decide to implement our needs and process them.

Lastly, The Dog and His Reflection teaches us to value what we have, resist the illusion, and to be mindful, content, and grateful. It reminds us that in chasing more, we may lose what is precious, and that true happiness typically comes from experiencing the blessings we can have for now. This brief narrative underscores our need to appreciate what we have instead of being driven by avarice to chase fantasies.