Trusting Intention v. Trusting Capability [Final Episode] - No. 113. The Man and the Old Dog - The Essential Aesop? - Back to Basics Abridgment Series

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." ~ Leonardo da Vinci (Adopted by Steve Jobs)

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There was once a Man with a Dog.?They had hunted together for many years.?

One day, on a hunt, the Dog could no longer keep up with chasing the prey and became tired, allowing the prey to escape.?

The Man was furious, and chided the Dog severely.?

But, the Dog responded, “Please, good master, remember that it is not my will that fails you, but my body, for I have served you well for many years.”??

Moral of the Story: Inability does not mean disloyalty.?Distinguish intention v. capability. Remember loyal service and contribution.?

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Introduction ?- The Essential Aesop -?Epilogue

Related Articles: The Duty of Trust - Stand for America? ; Hiring on Hope - The Business of Aesop? No. 90 - The Cat-Maiden

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Why We Loved It:?In this final episode in this Abridgment Series, perhaps it is fitting that Aesop has us look back to form a present judgment.

It is no accident that Master Aesop chooses a Man and his Dog for this teaching.

Behold, the dog: Man's best and most loyal friend.

Thusly, Aesop presents us with the ultimate challenge: What shall the sage do with his now incompetent best and most loyal friend?

Aesop presents us with his final test of our wisdom. Can we sacrifice our love for wisdom? Does the fortitude subsist? Sacrificing love is the last full measure of wisdom.

On the one hand, it is foolish for a Hunter to have a Dog that is not capable of the intended purpose. Therefore, wisdom commands that the incompetent Dog be substituted for that purpose.

On the other hand, Aesop is clear to distinguish intention from capability in forming a judgment. Properly placed mercy tends to rely upon judgment of intention, rather than the judgment of action alone, and the virtuous judge's genius is to perceive the distinction in context.

So, let us take a familiar adage:

"Credo matrem meam mihi Terram ambulare, sed id facere posse non confido." ("I trust my mother would walk the Earth for me, but I do not trust that she actually could do it.")

The differential between trust of intention and trust of capability is often homogenized or conflated, and the sage is careful to separate one from the other. The sage understands that character and integrity are distinct from capability. The attributes may be correlated, but they are distinct from an analytical perspective. In this distinction, we can find a basis for empathy, mercy, and appreciation without abrasion. [1 , 2]

We are told here that the Dog tried and failed. It was not that the Dog's heart was not in it, as his prior service evidenced. It was simply that the Dog was no longer viable for the task.

The Dog did not make a foolish choice in failing to perform to standard, and the Man would not make a foolish choice in replacing the Dog for that purpose. Aesop teaches over, and over, and over, that prudence and goodness are not the same thing. That wisdom and charity (love) are not the same thing. And that goodness serves at the pleasure of wisdom.

Therefore, Aesop's entire lesson appears to be focused on the condemnation by the Man in judging only the Dog's present action, without the Man judging the Dog's present intention as evidenced by years of loyal service. The Dog thereby pleads for mercy from the condemnation seeking the rightful appreciation that he had earned over many years.

In failing to judge the context accordingly—that is, by failing to distinguish actions and intentions—Aesop suggests that the Man was unjust and foolish.

We are not told by Aesop how the Man responded to the Dog's plea for mercy. But injustice and foolishness tend to bite back...sooner or later. [3 , 4 , 5]

"He who has already drunk turns his back on the well, and the orange already squeezed turns from gold into mud. When there is no longer dependence, good manners disappear, and so does esteem. The most important lesson experience teaches is to maintain dependence, and entertain it without satisfying it. This can hold even a king." ~ Baltasar Gracian , The Art of World Wisdom

[1] Empathy to Understanding. No. 20. The Sheep and the Pig - The Essential Aesop? - Back to Basics Abridgment Series [#GRZ_98_20]

[2] On Empathy: To Give Empathy Is a Blessing; To Need Empathy Is a Curse [#GRZ_106]

[3] Hope, Prayer, Trust and Reliance Upon Luck; Or, the Ignoble Handouts Oft by Noble Emotions [#GRZ_137]

[4] On Leadership and Trust. [And, Should We Trust the U.S. Government?] [#GRZ_160]

[5] Wisdom v. Compassion, Or, the Elizabeth Smart Prediction - No. 60. The Woodsman and Serpent - The Essential Aesop? - Back to Basics Abridgment Series [#GRZ_98_60]

[6] The Priest-Patton Scale; Or, Objective-Based Leadership [#GRZ_162]

"Amor sacrificare est ultima mensura sapientiae." ("Sacrificing love is the last full measure of wisdom."); "Prudentia bonum iudicat. Bonus non iudicat quid sit sapiens." ("Wisdom judges what is good. Good does not judge what is wise."); "Prudentia et bonitas moralis non est idem." ("Prudence and moral goodness are not the same thing."); "Sapientia et caritas non sunt idem." ("Wisdom and charity are not the same thing."); "Bonitas servit ad voluptatem sapientiae." ("Goodness serves at the pleasure of wisdom."); "Credo matrem meam mihi Terram ambulare, sed id facere posse non confido." ("I trust my mother would walk the Earth for me, but I do not trust that she actually could do it."); "Confido quod volebat, non confido quod poterat." ("Trust that would, not trust that could.", "I trust that he willed, not that he was able.") ~grz

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*?Gregg Zegarelli , Esq., earned both his Bachelor of Arts Degree and his Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His dual major areas of study were History from the College of Liberal Arts and Accounting from the Business School (qualified to sit for the CPA examination), with dual minors in Philosophy and Political Science. He has enjoyed Adjunct Professorships in the Duquesne University Graduate Leadership Master Degree Program (The Leader as Entrepreneur; Developing Leadership Character Through Adversity) and the University of Pittsburgh Law School (The Anatomy of a Deal). He is admitted to various courts throughout the United States of America.

Gregg Zegarelli , Esq.,?is Managing Shareholder of?Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC .?Gregg is nationally rated as "superb" and has more than 35 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes, including startups,?INC. 500, and publicly traded companies.?He is author of?One: The Unified Gospel of Jesus ,?and?The Business of Aesop ? article series, and co-author with his father,?Arnold Zegarelli , of?The Essential Aesop: For Business, Managers, Writers and Professional Speakers .?Gregg is a frequent lecturer, speaker and faculty for a variety of educational and other institutions.?

? 2013 Arnold Zegarelli? and?Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. ?Gregg can be contacted through?LinkedIn .?Arnold Zegarelli ?can be contacted through?Facebook .

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/appreciation-intention-capability-final-episode-113-zegarelli-esq-/

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#GreggZegarelli #Aesop #Wisdom #Zegarelli #Aesop_Dog #Aesop_Hunter #Aesop_Man #Aesop_OldDog #Appreciation #Capability #Intention #Mercy #Recognition #Trust #ServiceAwards #Will #BusinessOfAesop #TheEssentialAesop #TheEssentialAesop_113 #GRZ_98_113

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