There is an old adage that states that; Dogmas are like two hungry donkeys tied together in short ropes on a lane with grass on both sides. They want to eat off the grass that is on each side of the lane but the rope is short. Both donkeys pull harder hoping to drag the other to their side but neither can move an inch. The animals become very frustrated and tired and none can reach the grass.

In the absence of dogma, they would have stopped and tried to figure out how to eat.   The animals can decide to take turns. They can move together from side to another.

“When you think in absolutes, the only ‘bush’ that matters is the one that you can see. When you believe you possess the truth, your subjective beliefs blind you from seeing other options”.

When the donkeys stop trying to pull each other, they reframe the situation. They are able to consider other alternatives and start working together. By being receptive to new possibilities, the donkeys would achieve their goals — they move from conflict to integration.

Our disabling beliefs, religion, politics and culture is a perfect example of tensions driven by dogmas. They are all about the dignity of life, to realize our purpose as human beings but those who have seen them differently have made it work like the two donkey dogma. What’s the purpose behind your religious, plitical or cultural beliefs? Accept that, even though others have a different creed, they can share the same goal of life.

Being skeptical doesn’t mean you disapprove of other schools of thought, instead it makes you ask “Why and how else?”. The two donkeys represent the negative and positive absolutes.

A right-or-wrong approach creates a tension that distracts both animals from their end goal: eating. Dogmas get you stuck amidst a pool of resources and make you stuck. Having enabling beliefs is about seeing the whole picture, not the one you believe to be true but what else too works. Challenge your beliefs continually, that’s how you get to find the truth…

This is article is an extract from the book; Winning By Choice; The art and Code of extraordinariness, preorders of the book can be sent in to nichol.bk24@gmail.com or +256775522724 (whatsapp) . Outstand. Be ExtraOrdinary