What Thumper and the Pastor Know…

It’s been a long time but as I recall, all the critters from the forest gathered around Bambi (in the Disney flick) after he was born. Thumper had a tendency to speak his mind and began to talk about what a klutz Bambi. He rambled on and on until his mother corrected him. Thumper had to recite his mom’s rule: “If you can’t say nothin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”

It seems to me that Pastor Graham (he talks behind the big log at my foster mom’s church) was saying about the same thing on Sunday. To sum it up, he was saying it’s okay to have your own opinion (in fact I’ve noticed humans tend to have a lot of them) but it isn’t okay to change the facts. When you start messing with the facts (usually to back up your own opinion) you begin to judge others against your opinion rather than simply express your opinion. Humans seem to think posturing and judging is often more important than communicating and inspiring. Maybe that’s because they bark before they think.

Pastor Graham seems to share my opinion (just had to say it) because he gave all of us a simple… acronym that even a dog can remember:

T: Is what you want to say TRUE?
H: Is what you want to say HELPFUL?
I: Is what you want to say INSPIRING?
N: Is what you want to say NECESSARY?
K: Is what you want to say KIND?

Now I know I’m just a dog, albeit a really smart one, but I just can’t figure out why such a simple, sound concept is so hard for humans to honor. Seriously, imagine what the world would be like if you humans would simply think before they barked.

Okay, here’s the question of the day from Nova who asked: I like paper. - I like chewing on it. I like chewing it up. I like eating it. Why is mom and dad giving their friend “Shredder” all the paper to chew up instead of giving it to me?

Dear Nova:

You seem to be confused a little. “Shredder” is not your parents’ friend; it’s a machine. The machine makes big paper into little paper. (Don’t ask. It’s a human thing.) So, if it makes you feel better, it’s not like the paper is going to someone they love more than you. Chew on bones. They’re better for your teeth.


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