What is the purpose of tails?

A week or two ago BB, our calico indoor cat, and Grace, our Australian shepherd, were having a discussion. They really get along well together, but now and then they have to discuss their pecking order. BB the cat decided it was time to bare her claws and hook Grace our dog. So Grace our dog decided to chew on BB's tail. Made me wonder how many times I've teased a cat using their tail. Pulled the tail or just messed with it. There have been times when I ended up bleeding. I've watched cats chase their tales, doing circle after circle. But the thing is a cat's tail is essential for their mobility and agility. When you watch a cat run at full speed his tail will stick straight back, kind of like a rudder on a ship.

Kind of like our noses. Where would we be as human beings if we didn't have noses? But our noses have been an object of ridicule since probably time began. There are big noses and crooked noses, skinny noses and fat ones or ones with a ball on the end. Growing up I figured anyone with a long nose and darker skin was made up of Native American blood. So if you have a kind of long nose that is skinny and angular and pointed, I'd wonder how much Native American blood you have in you, especially Sioux blood. Or our ears, matter of fact. Some people have ears that stick straight out from their heads. Some have huge ears, and some super small. It's like we pick some abnormality and make fun of it.

Jabs from those who went to college and from those who didn't are pretty common. And there are some on both sides who are self-righteous in their own eyes and condemning of the other side. Marge and I went to the dentist a week or so ago. and I appreciate the fact he went to school and has a college education and his degree was on his office wall. But I also appreciate driving up to a farmers market and finding sweet corn and cucumbers and tomatoes. His education to me is irrelevant. One farmer I know has a doctorate in chemistry.

Both Marge and I grew up country, so we were the hicks from the sticks. When Marge left home and attended a high school 80 miles from home she was ridiculed and made fun of because she was from the country, a country hick. I was ridiculed to a degree because I went to graduate school. Not many country boys work on a doctorate of ministry and write a dissertation. This belittling around college campuses is common especially among those with the doctorates and the like.

From the time I was little, there were jokes about coming from certain countries and how mentally slow they were or developmentally handicapped. Crazy to me because I'm not sure if I ever met a person from those countries. But our own United States has always had a North/South confrontation. This North/South thing is still alive and kicking.

Part of this might be because if we can cut another down it seems like we elevate ourself. Might be because of jealousy. Might be because of our own self-image or how we see ourselves in our own eyes. Might be because we grew up with the criticism and the negativism and it's just a part of who we are.

So is there an answer? This is my opinion so proceed with caution. One thing for a fact is you can't force people to change. Can't be done. You can drag an old mule up to a water trough, but he won't drink until he wants to. Second of all the change starts with me. I have to be more forgiving and less critical and more accepting. That's all I can do. It's your decision and our neighbor's down the road to do the same, but it's their decision. But then I'm just an old cowboy preacher from the Sandhills of Nebraska.