Dog Fights and Endurance

The setting was a cold January morning in a little town in Wisconsin, where I then was, on the southern shore of Lake Superior. It happened to be a Saturday when they had their annual dog-sled derby on the ice. A one-mile course had been staked out by sticking little fir trees in the ice. The whole course was easily visible because of the steep slope of the shore. It was the youngsters’ meet and the contenders ranged all the way from large boys with several dogs and big sleds to one little fellow who didn’t seem over five with a little sled and one small dog.

From Notes on a talk given by Robert Greenleaf to a Seminar for Trustees – Friends Council on Education, January 1973 in the book SERVANT LEADERSHIP (page 187).

This story from Greenleaf caught my eye because of the setting – Northern Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Superior, probably my favorite place to spend time. Having grown up in Northern Wisconsin, I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time on the shores of that great lake, but have never had the opportunity to watch a dog sled race there. Greenleaf’s description does a great job of filling in what I missed.

They took off at the signal and the little fellow with his one dog was quickly outdistanced – he was hardly in the race. All went well with the rest until, about halfway around, the team that was second started to pass the team in the lead. They came too close and the dogs got in a fight. And as each team came up the dogs joined in the fight. None seemed to be able to steer clear of it. Soon, […], there was just one big black seething mass of kids and sleds and dogs – all but the little fellow with his one little dog who gave this imbroglio a wide berth, the only one that managed it, and the only one to finish the race.

As I reflect on the many vexing problems and the stresses of our time that complicate their solutions, this simple scene from long ago comes vividly to mind. And I draw the obvious moral: No matter how difficult the challenge or how impossible or hopeless the task may seem, if you are reasonably sure of your course, just keep on going!

Greenleaf’s moral is one that I need, probably more so then another escape to the shores of my favorite lake, as I struggle with trying to incorporate servant leadership into the places I spend most of my time lately. Maybe I need to find a small dog to guide my sleigh or at least to be reasonably sure enough to just keep on going.