Horses are without capacity to demonstrate hubris, the destructive pride and arrogance that the ancient Greeks recognized and condemned. They need not do so. We have enough hubris to go around. For the over 5,000 years that humans have owned horses, horsemanship has been little more than a show case for human hubris.
In our vanity of vanities we have striven to produce a horse that is stronger than strong, faster than fast, and worst of all, more perfect than perfect.
All to impress other humans with the "quality" of our equine possessions.
From this effort to improve the horse we have races, shows, and other competitions, all to aid in the quest for perfection. Perfectionism is in no way a virtue. It is a vice that causes suffering both to the perfectionist and all those around him.
I am utterly at loss to understand why I would want to parade any of my horses in front of a "judge" to seek that "judge's" approval of my horse's existence. I would no more do so than I would parade my wife in front of a "judge" to seek that "judge's" approval of my marriage's existence.
Even if it was somehow harmless, this pursuit of perfection is as meaningless as chasing the wind. Perfection is never attained and the wind is never captured. But the pursuit of perfection has not been harmless. It has stood as the major obstacle to the development of meaningful horse/human relationships.
With the gift of the horse, God made it possible for us to ride the wind. Foolish hubris causes us to chase after it instead.
3 comments:
Thank you for the reminder!
In complete agreement!
Well put! Your analogy is funny, but very powerful...
Certainly you have heard of the trophy wife. I think they are in the same category as the show horse.
P.S. The title of this post would make a great bumper sticker.
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