The Post/Post Principle, Blinking Cats and Tail Wagging Dogs

Tomorrow is going to be utterly ridiculous, so I am sneaking this post in today. June 29th is National Burnt Bacon Day. It is also National Guy Day, National Hug Day and National Handshake Day. They should just call it National Covid SuperSpreader Day.

On May 1st, 2023, a small plane lost engine power and crashed in the great Amazon forest power killing its pilot and two passengers, one of whom was the mother of 4 kids who survived. The eldest, Lesly, aged 13, took care of her siblings, Soleiny, Tien and baby Cristin for 40 days. They were found by a search dog called Wilson. How the kids survived is a great mystery. Their story of survival in the wild soon became Colombian folklore.  The hero in this saga, was Wilson, the Belgian shepherd dog.

Sadly, just after finding the kids, Wilson ran off into the jungle chasing something and has not been since. The search party left 70 soldiers back to look for the dog. He is after all a Colombian hero and somewhat of a global icon. Stories like this warm the heart.

There are many other things in life that do the same, things of unmatched beauty – here are some examples - the slow blink of a cat, the wagging tail of a dog and the patience of a mother with a hyperactive child who seems to understand everything except the word, NO!

Some signals are loud and extravagant yet others, very subtle. My French Brittany was born with a natural bobtail and when he is happy, which is all too often, his 2-inch stumpy shakes his stomach from the right to the left, and at the same time, his head from left to right, making him look totally ridiculous and cute at the same time. You just have to love how God made this chap. If you study cats, you will know what to do when they stare at you while they have their ears pulled back (right response is to beat it, as in not hit the cat but run!). When they stare at you and slowly blink, it simply means they own you and they love you.

When you are negotiating a contract with a fellow human, you may never get signals like animals give you. Humans are clever creatures! So how does one secure a win? Here’s my advice. Suppose you want to sell a fancy tea pot. You want $200 for it.

Go in with a position (below which you feel you have “lost”). Let us say this is $100. Open with a posture (the level at which you feel you have “won”). Let us say this is $200. If you land up between $100 and $200, a place between your position and posture, it is a win even with the compromise you have made. If you settle for less than $100 it is a bad deal. Victory is about how much you compromise between your position and your posture. Without these levels, you will find it hard to walk away or accept a deal because you have no datum.

Coming back to cats and dogs, you may have wondered at some time in your life about the breed of animal you wanted to adopt? When it comes to canines do you get a German Shepherd, known for its loyalty, intelligence, and risk what it might do to someone or something it does not like, or a border collie who won’t look as Brad-Pitty like the GSP, but is a dog’s version of Albert Einstein. A picture of this clever breed is at the top of this article. I only mention this because what looks like a goofball is not always a goofball! Border collies can do mischief like a child, learn up to 1,000 words and solve puzzles. Do you adopt a Burmese (temple) cat, renowned for their friendship and calm spirit or a Siamese, highly intelligent nut-jobs who do zoomies and speak loudly at the most inappropriate moments? To make these choices easy, figure out your position and posture. The Post/Post principle works for all choices.

If you do not have a position or posture on anything, it’s ok. We have a name for you – Happy Go Lucky! Your National Day is March 20th.

Onwards. Upwards.

Your fearless follower.