Having trouble with your neighbors? A farmer in Indiana was bothered
by his neighbor's dogs who were killing his sheep. The traditional
way that sheepraisers counter this problem is with lawsuits, or
barbed wire fences, or even with shotguns as a last resort. This
man had a better idea. He gave his neighbor's children lambs as
pets. The neighbors then tied their dogs up voluntarily. In the
process the families became friends.
The Oswego Valley Peace & Justice Council,
cited in Peace Network News, May 1994.
COMMENTARY: When there is a problem or a conflict, we often create
distance or walls between ourselves and the trouble so it won't
disturb us -- or we fight it in an effort to overcome or change
what we don't like. We shut our doors, we turn our heads, we call
the cops. Co-intelligence, on the other hand, has a bias towards
building relationship, towards cooperation, towards greater life.
The farmer may well have asked himself, "How can I get these
folks to join me in protecting my sheep?" Notice how different
that is from: "How can I stop these folks from killing my
sheep?" This difference - a spirit of cooperation rather
than resistance or domination- is an important feature of co-intelligence.
It usually requires a good deal more creativity and courage to
put into practice. But it builds bonds that will make future problems
much easier to solve - and makes life more deeply enjoyable, as
well.