# Unthirsty Thirsty Horses By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2024-07-15 As the saying goes, one can only lead a horse to water but cannot force them to drink. However, this is only part of the situation as the horse often says they are thirsty but still refuses to drink. In this case, the horse is not thirsty. They only say they are thirsty because it seems the thing to say, as they've learned that horses should drink regularly. This behavior is typical whenever an organization asks for a change but refuses to do it. The question for the person leading the change is whether to keep bringing the horse to the water, which they will never drink. One may hold out hope that they will eventually change. More likely, one is paid a decent amount to keep moving the horses around the fields and water sources. The problem is that it becomes entirely a show that only works if one has limited moral character, a short memory, or has found some sense of meaning in this cycle of suffering. One can say, "I do this because they pay me, and it helps me and my family." This paradigm is not wrong or insignificant but far from optimal. Here, optimal is doing work that is authentically meaningful and pays well. This may be fantasy or delusion because work is work for a reason. The question is not yes or no, nor real or not real. Existence exists along a continuous line with many degrees and dimensions. What one can endure is a deeply personal question. But, many horses say they are thirsty without ever drinking. When one sees this, one has peered deep into the abyss of suffering. #### Related Items [[Organization]] [[Idioms]] [[Change]] [[Existential]] [[Suffering]] [[Choice]]