Leadership November 13: Dobie's Mustangs

Leadership DOBIE: THE MUSTANGS
Open With Natasha Beddingfield Video:

Objectives:
To gain an understanding of the ideas presented by J. Frank Dobie in The Mustangs.
Goals:
To extend the sympathetic imagination to the Mustangs, to identify the representations of the horse, and compare the human dominance over a species to cruelty and animal humanities.
1. What are some symbolic associations with the horse/mustang/stallion; historically or today? Are there any relatable findings one can extrapolate from the image of the mustang to human beings?
a. Austyn – “You see, Mustangs carry “a life and a spirit” (848) that I envy. They’re free, independent, and excitable- constantly eluding captors.”
b. Mary – “Horses are the ideal symbol of freedom, strength, beauty, and confidence.”
c. Samantha –
i. “Mustangs represent the frontier, the pristine untouched nature of the new world, the open prairies and plains that have now been diminished by development.”
ii. “This feeling of freedom is also evoked by the mustang, which we can envision gallantly gliding through the “amber waves of grain” entirely unencumbered by any preoccupations. These two are representations of our lust for liberty from modern day anxieties.”
d. Ben –
i. “Greek tradition associated the horse to the spoils of war: Hindus to the Cosmos: Native Americans to the wild nature: Celts to war.”
ii. “I feel that we are all, at this point of our lives stallions at heart. We have been relinquished for the reins of our parents, and are free to roam and find the meanings of life, and explore the workings of the world.”
e. Jenny –
i. “Power, strength and freedom: three characteristics I have come to associate with the horse.”
ii. “ I, like many of the class of 2012, was born in the year of the horse. The horse personality is very much associated with liberty and freedom. My mother describes them as being confident and strong, and most of all, independent. Their attitude of “DON’T FENCE ME IN” (X844) carries from the heaving muscles of their flanks to “rollers in [their] nose” (X849).”
iii. “When I was little, if I found someone to be rather handsome, I would describe them as ‘looking like a horse’. This was because I could not find any other way to convey the nobility of their looks, nor the strength and royal way they carried themselves.”
f. Kristen – “They have this Spirit about them, something free and untamable. They are noble, even in the meanest of positions.”

2. In what aspects of our lives today can we find like qualities of the mustang? Is the free spirit something of the past, and only a dream for children? What will it take to reassert those freedoms in our daily lives?
a. Mary – “The free dancing child within us slowly becomes aware of the staring audience. We allow the observers' opinions to influence our decision whether to keep dancing or not. I miss those days of innocence and care-free attitude. Everything nowadays seems so serious. I remember my young elementary years when summer seemed to last forever. Daytime seemed endless and invincible. Yet, society pressures us towards adulthood by encouraging focus on the future. We are told living in the present is a perspective of the past, and preparing oneself for the future is the most sensible path. I fall so easily into that confined box.”
b. Austyn –
i. “When I was younger I used to be independent; now I’m constantly seeking affirmation from materialistic things that do not matter. I used to be excitable, but now disappointment and frustration dominate my moods. However, the worst thing is I’ve lost my spirit. I’m encountering a familiar tedium (some would call it reality) as an adult that restricts me to a bubble, and deprives me of the necessary freedom to simply explore my character and live.”
ii. “Perhaps what he means by this is, in order to achieve a Mustang’s freedom and spirit, we must disassociate ourselves with “reality/tedium” (what’s the best way to get an A? What career makes the most money? How can I get a letter of recommendation? What’s the best way to begin building my grad school transcript?), and remember back to simpler days. What brought us the most joy as children? What was our favorite activity?”
c. Saumya – “When teaching a 4 year old ballet student to chasse, I always say "gallop like a horse!"...it typically gets the job done. And that seems to be sympathetic imagination at its most basic form.”

3. What is something that one looks for in their own querencia? Anyone want to share theirs?

a. Samantha – “Humans should all find a querencia at some point in their lives to maintain as their safe-haven, their place of escape, retreat. This does not necessarily have to be a place of nature, as it is difficult for many people to get away from the city, just some place where you can melt away into your surroundings and free yourself from all stresses and anxieties. (Wisconsin)”
b. Mary – “I believe we too have a form of “querencia.” Like horses that have an “attachment of a parcel of living flesh for a particular parcel of earth”, we too will always have an unbreakable attachment to the young child that once danced freely through our lives. [6] At times it may be a challenge to find that inner, uninhibited spirit, but it is a worthwhile hunt that must not be put off. Before we know it, our chances to live wild, carefree, and uninhibited will soon be over.”
c. Ben – “For me, going home feels much more comfortable than ever before, and I know it is because it is the place that represents the uninhibited trials of youth, and I have made my imprint in that place.”

4. The unobtainable White Stallion: What does it mean? Why is it White? What are some things that we search for today, besides the Albino Squirrel, and what do they represent?

a. Skaggs - “I found it interesting to note that it always seems to be the white animals, or “white objects of the Earth,” that are the rare and majestic things in life. The story by Dobie talks about the White Steed of the Prairie, India has its White Elephants, Moby Dick has its White Whale, and UT has its Albino Squirrel. What is it about white objects that inspires such majesty? Is it the purity, or something greater?”
b. Jennifer – “I was so moved by the White Mustang's vitality; to me he represented life, freedom, strength, and beauty.”

5. Why do you think that the sculpture of The Mustangs was chosen to be a part of the Campus?

6. Agree or Disagree: “the more machinery man gets, the more machined he is”?

a. Samantha – “Living in the technical age definitely has its benefits: news travels at lightning speed worldwide, the answer to nearly any question can be found on Google, light comes with the flick of a switch, etc. But, humans are entirely addicted to technology. Dobie said “the more machinery man gets, the more machined he is”[3] and he is entirely right. If the world tried to revert itself back to pre-industrialized times…well it would not happen. However, people often get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that comprises daily life nowadays, all they long for is a return to nature, a desire to be Kendall’s White Steed, impervious to all.”
b. Brian – “Man, though deemed superior by himself, is so troubled, “the rule is simple: the more machinery man gets, the more machined he is.”[3] The advancement of mankind is at a snail’s pace, yet we are entirely concerned with what might be regarded as trivial in the great scheme of things. The more “machined” we get, the less natural we are, and the less beauty there is in our life. On that same note, it can be argued that this is our normal state—to contemplate trivially the goings on of the universe. But that is another argument.”

7. In trying to reflect on the discussions about animal humanity, is it wrong to try and domesticate animals, and take them out of their natural habitat? What is the justification for doing so?
a. Jennifer – “The simple fact that men have repeatedly tried to inadvertently extinguish his freedom disgusted me. Seems as though humankind has always wanted to subordinate animals. In appreciating the beauty of nature, we've often ruined it: we see pretty flowers outside and pluck it from their home to keep them in our own. This kind of attitude, that we can do whatever we please with nature, has further developed throughout the decades. We say we're becoming “greener,” but are we really?”
b. Kristen – “Horses are now kept in stables, pens, and fields. They are fenced in by man, yet they have retained their Spirit and nobility throughout the years. Do they still have the longing to run free? To run and run without meeting a fence? Do they still have their ancestor's instincts as well as their noble look? If they do, what right do we have to cage them?”
c. Russ – “Nature, like mustangs, is beautiful because it is wild. Today, we have lost touch with this “wildness.”[4] Perhaps it is because we feel that we are above it. Maybe it is because we think we own it.”