HAWK AND THE HOUND

August 7th, 2018

The dog does not have very good eyesight.  At least compared to the nose.  Even if the ‘target’ can be seen, the dog still follows the scent, even if that scent takes it in a round about route.

Why?

The obvious answer is that the nose is a stronger source of information.  And maybe there’s not a super high correlative power between what is seen far off and what is smelled.  (Perhaps birds of prey are the exact opposite).

But there is far more to appreciate about a pooch with it’s nose to the grindstone – so to speak.

The Blood Hound is living exclusively in the moment and pivoting at an incredibly rapid speed as the nose dodges back and forth, following the highest concentration of smell.  It knows something is there, but more importantly, the hound doesn’t need to see the final destination.  The hound’s ability to suss out where to go on a moment-to-moment basis has embedded in it an implicit faith in the fact that the process works.

Unlike The Big Launch which is exclusively focused on some distant, future fantasy, the hound is working with what it’s got, in the present.

Consider also the Hawk.  Soaring high above with excellent vision.  Some prey is seen, and boom, the hawk goes into a dive bomb.  Poor little rabbit.

Do we imagine our endeavors more like the Hawk or more like the Hound?

Which would be more useful?

We would do well to note the difference in environments.  The hawk is floating through the air which has practically no obstacles.  The hound is perhaps navigating a forest where straight shots rarely exist.

Which environment is a better analogy for our lives?  A straight shot towards our goals?  Or a shifting terrain full of obstacles that are rarely seen until they are right in front of us?

The Big Launch is planned and executed like a hawk dive-bombing towards prey. 

But we do not live in a sniper’s paradise.

Being focused on some distant object can blind us from the sinkhole we’re about to walk into.

Best to sniff out some kind of success instead of imagining it and aiming for it.

Best to look around at what’s close, see what we have to work with: Stop and smell the roses.

Wake up and smell the coffee.

Never know.  There might be some curious scent to follow.

Who knows where it might lead, but a scent will tell you:

there might be something there.

If only we follow it, instead of plan it.

This episode references Episode 72: Perseverance Vs. Pivot.  If you’d like to fully understand that reference, I suggest checking out that episode next.