Member-only story
We Don’t Need to Get Along
We just need to get a break
What do we mean when we say the grass is always greener…? It’s a self reflection that we perceive our neighbour’s lot to be cosier, more abundant or less hassle. It’s also an admission that our perception, however valid, is selective. Yet many of us find it really difficult to dispel our own myth even though it’s very easily debunked. At the same time we are desperate to discover weeds and moss among our neighbour’s grass so as to disprove our own hypothesis. It’s classic cognitive dissonance and diminishes us to the thought process of our pets.
While I lived with my parents (many, many moons ago) we had a pet labrador called Sabre. At the time my brother’s girlfriend had a small rescue dog (Oscar) who was very insecure and skittish. On one occasion the small dog looked out of the patio doors of my parent’s house into the back garden and appeared to be looking at something that wasn’t there. Sabre then joined in looking for the same. It was clear that Oscar took Sabre’s participation as proof that there was something to look at. And so each dog iteratively validated the other’s false conviction. It was hilarious and all too reminiscent of our own self perpetuating misconceptions.
There’s nothing wrong with looking at someone else’s life and seeing something you want but don’t have, but you have to…
