How do dogs decide who is the leader and who is the follower? Dominant or submissive? Genetics play a role, causing dogs to behave in a certain way in the presence of another dog. When meeting another dog, they know if they are dominant, submissive, or near equals, in terms of their relative status. When dogs know what to do, they do it, and when they are unsure, they will interact with the other dog until it becomes clear what their relative positions are. The true warrior uses this bahavioural knowledge to his or her advantage, like so many other observations and lessons learned and added to their arsenal.

Let’s think about who is doing what. The dominant, for example, is so sure of himself/herself that they spend all their time asserting their dominance. The submissive, on the other hand, is all about currying favour from the dominant one … so all of his or her time is spent fawning and groveling. In both of these cases, the dogs are busy with their hard-wired predilections, reinforced by experience. Those who don’t know their status (and that is the majority of dogs and humans alike) spend their time investigating, learning, playing, and letting it all sort itself out. Of the three behaviours, this appears to be the most desirable one in which to engage. So the true warrior, taking his cue from the behaviour of dogs, practices the humility of one who does not know … and in fact, may not care what his or her place in the world is. True warriors fit themselves into the world around them—no fuss, no muss!

You are warriors who practice the humility of transparency —an open status that will allow you to achieve peace and harmony in your daily affairs, and lead to continuing growth and success. So it has been written.