Barking dogs seldom bite

In the toastmasters meeting yesterday, I got this topic for an impromptu talk. The meaning of the proverb says that any person who keeps giving tall talks, threatening will never do anything what he says.

But I was just thinking about this topic and a totally different approach to this proverb cropped up. We know dogs bark. What do we do when they keep barking for a long time? What are our emotions when the dog keeps barking? All we want to do is to just get rid of the bark by giving it what it wants so that we can be at peace. Right!

I have an uncle who keeps barking at everyone when he wants something to be done. He is at the nose at of the person when he talks, for ever barking his orders and instructions.So all we do is to do what ever he asks and move away from his vicinity.

Don’t you think the same thing happens to a person who barks at people to get things done? All we do it is just do what he/she says so that he stops barking. We eventually even start avoiding/ignoring that person. Though that person might have very good ideas it will be a loss to him and everyone around as no one takes him seriously. Everyone around him just non verbally cover their ears with their hands to make him stop barking. So actually in this case the barking dog is actually biting us and irritating us to the core.

I am sure all of us go through this phase where we want to bark to prove a point. But why should we do it? Haven’t we always been taught “Never raise your voice” from our childhood. Why do we forget this? The same things what we say in a raised tone, can be said in a calm fashion, then the things we mean are actually listened to. Let’s all try NOT to be barking dogs, whenever we feel or we lose our cool.