Stubborn

A veteran and well-known Navy Commander was at the helm of an aircraft carrier. As he was navigating through a storm, a bright light came from a distance. Immediately, he asked his man to send a signal to the other ship: "Please divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collison.:

Shortly came a reply, "Recommend YOU divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision."

Quite taken aback the reply, he asked his man to send back the same message and to his anger, the same reply was received. This was too much for the experienced Commander to take and he asked his man to convey the following message, "This is the Captain of a large aircraft carrier, YOU divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the north NOW!"

Then came a reply, "This a lighthouse. Your call."

While the above story may be regarded as a joke, isn't the underlying message about stubbornness and perhaps a little on complacency? Stubbornness, especially when carrying about an unrepentant attitude, can sometimes lead to trouble. Letting egoism and complacency get the better of you will lead to oversight in matters. Below is an excerpt from Jonathan Swift's - On Poetry, a Rhapsody:

Brutes find out where their talents lie;
A bear will not attempt to fly,
A foundered horse will oft debate
Before he tries a five barred gate.
A dog by instinct turns aside
Who sees the ditch too deep and wide,
But man we find the only creature
Who, led by folly, combats nature;
Who, when she loudly cries—Forbear!
With obstinacy fixes there;
And where the genius least inclines,
Absurdly bends his whole designs.

We need to be mindful, not to be stubborn in our ways, not to always insist we are right, without even bothering to consider the situation of the matter, or we will fall in the abyss of trouble.