The dog with a thousand tails

Dog in a mirror - How do we see ourselves? Passive, aggressive, friendly?
January 23, 2009 9:45am CST
Loved this story when I heard it, it speaks to us of the way we perceive the world. In a country far away (wherever you live, all other countries are far away) there was a temple with many rooms. Most famous of these was the room with a thousand mirrors. One day a stray dog wandered in off the street and became lost in the maze of corridors and rooms, finally finding his way by chance to the mirror room. Seeing himself in the first mirror, the dog perceived the image as a threat and began to bark and snarl and snap. All the mirrors reflected each other and instantly the dog was surrounded by a thousand aggressive enemies. The vast corridors echoed his barking into an unbearable din. The poor animal was so agitated he had a seizure and died. Some time later, another dog followed him in and sure enough came to the mirror room. Seeing the first reflected image of himself, the dog began to wag his tail in friendship and immediately became aware of a thousand tails wagging back at him. He was so ecstatic at this reception that he settled down in the temple and lived there happily for many years.
2 responses
@GADHISUNU (2162)
• India
23 Jan 09
True.This story has a great lesson. Give the world one evil thing and it will reflect thousand fold to see that you are finished. Give one good and a thousand fold will return to you that you are overwhelmed by it. But the reality is not as simple as the moral of this story. That is what makes all the difference.
1 person likes this
23 Jan 09
Thanks for your valuable insight.
@GADHISUNU (2162)
• India
27 Jan 09
Thank you Michael, there should have been more discussion.
1 person likes this
@GreenMoo (11834)
30 Jan 09
I love that story too. Thanks for retelling it. These are the sort of stories which I love hearing at the time, yet can never remember when I need a motivational shove!
1 person likes this
3 Feb 09
Thanks for your input