Bite Your Tongue.

Being bitten by a dog isn't the most pleasant thing in the world, especially if you are bitten by your very own.

The hubby and I got our first bites from our husky pup - Comet. The hubby felt really bummed after, and I cried loads because of the pain. Comet just looked confused. But we kept at it, and things are better now.

When a young child gets bitten by a dog, he feels the pain and associates it with the animal, thinking that as long as he doesn't get near another dog, he will never get bitten again. When an adult gets bitten, he feels the pain and associates it with an act, or reason he got the bite. He will then change his approach towards the animal, but not avoid the animal at all costs.

That's the difference between children and grown-ups. Their level of cognition limits their ability to make sound links, but that's determined by their level of readiness which usually comes with age. So if a kid gets bitten by a dog at a very young age, he may never want to go near one ever again. And that's understandable. Of course, there's the issue of rehabilitation, but I'll not go into that here.

Now grown-ups seem to be able to understand that if one dog bites them, it doesn't mean that all dogs will bite them. The bitten may even try to figure out why the dog bit him, which means he has exercised a higher level of understanding.

Let's bring that scenario to life. Your life. Do you cry and give up when you're faced with failure? Or do you realize that doing badly in one aspect doesn't mean your whole life is a failure? If you're the former, then you're no different from the child who's got a lower level of cognition than an adult. If you're the latter, then you're pretty much set for life, because you know never to give up on yourself.

Did I just find this out through Comet? No. But dealing with him has helped me make analogical links a lot better.

Having him has made me see who the real grown-ups are. Because real grown-ups never give up, no matter what bites them in the ass.

Everyone else are just like the kids with fake IDs, trying to get into the club.

A Toast To My Friend - Mr Comet.

Modern day philosophy has gone to the dogs.

No, really. Gone are the days of quoting Aristotle, Kant, Rawls, Bentham, Rand, and some. Instead, people learn their lessons from Grogan and the like. Yes, Grogan of "Marley and Me" fame.

And it's no wonder why dogs are the shrinks of the 21st century. No matter how much you push their buttons (or them pushing yours, for that matter), they stick by you. They wake up each day with fresh slates, and watch the sun rise with a renewed sense of wonder. Their world is you, and they find security in your eyes and voice, in spite of all the craziness that's happening around them. Because dogs are simple creatures - once they've established trust and understanding with you, they're set for life. That's "core grounding", in human terms.

Now if only you could tear yourself away from all that craziness, and find the same security in those eyes that stare up at you every day, then you've arrived.

Because really, it's not about them eyes. It's about building up your core. And once that's done, YOU are set for life.