Shred the Dodo Syndrome: A Helpless Little Bird who pretended to be Emperor of the Animals Kingdom

Introduction

  In many ways, the fictional story about Dodo is a metaphor of us, humans. Although Dodo lacked the ability to fly long distances to hunt for food like the other birds, it was gifted in other ways, including beauty. Nonetheless, the little bird was preoccupied with what the other animals thought about Dodo. While they secretly admired Dodo’s beauty, they openly bullied the little bird, due in part to jealousy.

To prove itself Dodo dreamed up a devious plan to dominate the other animals. Assisted by Woodpecker, Dodo camouflaged itself with a gigantic fake monster head and hid its body in the biggest tree trunk, pretending to be a forest tree-monster. Thereafter, Dodo demanded total loyalty from the other animals or else; backed by empty threats, manipulation, and lies. However, Dodo’s luck ran out when Woodpecker exposed it secrets, and Dodo was overthrown.

Still Running: Shredding the Dodo Syndrome is a three-part narrative about Dodo—the fictional autocratic bird-emperor’s rule-by-deception strategy, and the symbolic-similarities to humans’ characteristics and behaviors. Part-I highlights Dodo’s rise and fall. Part-II sketches or categorize humans into three breeds (human-dodos) plagued by Dodo Syndromes. And Part-III outlined the fundamentals of Shredding the Dodo Syndrome.

Shredding the dodo syndrome is meant to inform us about the different categories of humans—and to assist each person determine which category best describes him/her. It may also enable an individual to minimize unrealistic expectations about oneself, another person and/or a given situation.

Personally, the way I described it is the dynamics between my cat and me. (My daughter's big heart led her to rescue Saydee, a street cat. For whatever reason, I agreed to take care of Saydee because my daughter had two other cats to take care of. Well, Saydee is an independent cat (or so she thinks) who sleeps all day and only follows me when she wants food. As a cat, she understands and cares very little about whether I am hungry, sick or otherwise. Even if she understood my problems, it’s impossible for her to solve them. As such, it’s laughable and counterproductive to speak to the cat about my problems.  

So is the relationship between the three categories of human-dodos (breeds) outlined in Still Running II. Each breed has its own worldview different from the others; and it seems each care very little what the other thinks. The more productive thing each of us (human-dodos) can do is understand the worldview of the other, and harness strategies to bridge the value, communication or relationship gaps and value propositions.

At its core, the dodo syndrome is about how good & evil, intelligence & ignorance, or “the double burden of incompetence” are ever present in each of us. As Socrates put it, “The only true wisdom is in known you know nothing.”