WHEN DO WE EVER GET SMART?

Dr. Tesfa G. Gebremedhin

West Virginia University

It was one Sunday afternoon in the summer that Solomon was relaxing alone in his house. He prepared a sandwich for a snack to eat and watch his favorite football game. Without any hesitation that nobody is going to touch it, he left the sandwich on top of his kitchen sink and went to the basement to fetch a cold beer to go with the sandwich. It happened that his two dogs, which live in the same household, spotted the juicy sandwich from a distance. These two smart dogs perfectly understood that neither the small dog nor the big one can get the sandwich alone. In their perceptive minds they knew that if they put their minds together, they can find a way to get the sandwich and share with each other. Knowing that each one of them alone can do so little, but together by helping each other they can do so much, they decided to pool their resources together and design a mechanism in getting the sandwich from the top of the kitchen sink, as shown below in the picture. Even though it looks impossible for dogs to reach to the top of the kitchen sink, based on their carefully designed plan, they were successful to get the sandwich and that is what friends are for. When Solomon came back from the basement with a beer in his hand, he observed that his sandwich was gone. To his surprise, there was no other person in the house who would take the sandwich away. It never occurred in his mind that the two dogs were capable to get the sandwich from the top of the kitchen sink. In addition, the two dogs acted very innocent in front him by playing hide and seek as if nothing happened. It then became a mystery to Solomon the way the sandwich disappeared from the kitchen.

What we observe above in the picture is a very interesting and provocative pictorial presentation depicting the concept of teamwork, the spirit of cooperation, and the essence of collaboration at work in achieving a certain goal or objective. There is no hidden mystery or confusion in this sophisticated and outstanding intelligence demonstrated by the two dogs. However, the picture of the two dogs illustrates how they outsmart the owner of the household in the search for food. What did never click in the mind of Solomon was that the two dogs were capable to team up and design a smart and brilliant strategy to get the sandwich from the top of the kitchen sink. The moral lesson of the picture is that it is through peaceful cooperation and working together with mutual trust, rather than creating hostility and animosity among ourselves, that our greatest successes in our communities will be achieved. The only thing that will redeem success in our communities and religious institutions is if we cherish our similarities, celebrate our differences, and commit ourselves to work together for our children’s welfare.

Now, let us relate the sandwich episode to our own situation in our own communities. It is a pride to observe that we have unbelievable success stories of many of our children in Diasporas. It gives pleasure to hear that some of our children graduate from highly respected universities and colleges with distinction and honor. Many of our children also have achieved great success in the employment sector and business world. However, it is very sad to observe that we have also many children who are not on the right track to achieve success in life. Obviously, we fail to realize and admit that we have fundamental problems in our households, communities, political organizations, and religious institutions. We fail to understand that we are raising our children in a hostile environment inflicted by the creation of fragmented and dysfunctional communities and the division and separation of families in our religious institutions. We are not clever enough to visualize the impacts and consequences of these problems upon our children. We are not smart enough to understand that if we come together and work together we can solve our common problems. It seems clear that we are not smart enough to realize that in unity there is always strength and success. It is believed that the natural quality and composition of our mind distinguishes us as distinct species from other animals. If that is so, when do we ever get smart?

It is certain that if parents function together as a formidable community, its unity determines its success. If every one of us is moving forward together as a whole in unity, then success is inevitable. Thus, in order to change the way our communities function, we have to get our heads together first. Obviously, each one of us individually can make a difference, but together as a community can make positive change. It is important to remember that one piece of log creates a small fire adequate enough to warm up one person; if we add just a few more pieces to blast an immense bonfire it can be large enough to warm up a crowd. As Anwar Sadat said, “There can be hope for a society which acts as one big family, not as many separate ones.” That is to say, great success always involves joining the community and working together with others. Let us then put our minds together and see what a productive life we can make for our children.

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