These are the words of a 60 year old + fellow philosopher who made light of some things and methods I hold dear, that if you choose to follow the path, will be enlightened. Yes, this is not some semantical hogwash post on what do words mean, this is practical philosophy, on dog poo. The fact that a discussion of dog poo makes these semantical discussions look like kindergartner philosophy is a telling tale. You kids ought to learn something from this. Just look past the typos and misspellings, because philosophy overrides Grammar, when the important aspect of it is philosophy.
"I am going to prove to the most doubting mind the virtue of dog poo. This morning i had a time consuming job to do… getting a piece of rope out of my my riding lawnmower . As i was jacking it up i noticed a very unpleasing odor coming from one of my tires and I continued to try to grin and bear it until the job was done because the tire had imbedded fresh dog feces…then it dawned on me…this is an opportunity to grow… I remember an East Indian author telling us to examine emotions and to examine emotions in the eternal know. Well i decided that moment that this had to be done and i was just the one who would be willing to do it because of the absurdity of it . I was going to examine the smell of dog feces as it has never been examined before. So when the job was done i walked to the back of the yard and found the freshest pile of dog feces I could find. I sat down beside itand picked a juicy clump up with my thumb and two fingers on my bare right hand and mashed it around a little and feeling the texture with only that in mind and then I raised it to my nose… and just how it would smell if i could remove the element of good and bad…ah yes virtue was on it’s way…the ultimate non discrimination if i could pull it off which I knew without a doubt in my mind i could do. I drew in my breath through my nose and even touched it lightly to my nostrils so I could smell it even more. I just concentrated on exactly what it smelled like with no judgement at all…deeply inhaling …and getting the full experience of this once noxious smell. I sat there five minutes doing nothing but examining this smell . I then listened to all the noises around me and threw out the taught behavior and with no inner feeling of the right or wrong of it or pleasant or unpleasant sounds around me. Cars in the distance, birds noises, insects,wind in the trees cicadas whirring, no favorites or un favorites just focused observing of eachand every one thoroughly devoid of judgement.,then i did the same thing with seeing no discernment of beauty or ugliness but just focused on each sight, garbage can, old torn up towel with the beautiful non judgement of the uncluttered mind seeing it for what it is actually for the very first time. I sat there without moving and did not hurry or un hurry but just stayed there without using the man made concept of time but simply observeing whatever i saw then after awhile i know not how long because actually there was no time at all .things change but time never does because it is the eternal now …I got up peaceful and very refreshed and walked to the water hose and washed my nose and hands and dove into the pool not caring about time.
I was going to a picnic with my wonderfully happy family to my wonderfully diverse in laws and I knew that I was going to eat potato salad which I last ate when I was 8 yrs old and only when forced. I hated the smell and taste of it too. I ate potato salad made with red creamer potatoes, it was pleasant to my taste buds i did not consider smell and when i finished I ate another helping to me the tase was good. I now like potato salad a miracle itself. So from a thourough examination of some smell I loathed, it enhanced my smell, my seeing, my patience, my feeling and my touch, It enhanced my appreciation of potato salad, my concentration and ultimately my virtue because now if I smell a bed pan, or go to a foreign country where bathing is not possible, all the time and smell sweaty armpits or dried urine in old used clothes, I will drink in the smell with non discrimination and not wince in disgust when one of them walks by…for surely they’ll notice and not accept me but they’ll notice i notice them without regard to smell thus enhancing our bonding to one another as well …i proceed it to myself now you can prove it to yourself by drinking in deeply the next perceived unpleasant smell without discrimination but just as it is and you will prove it to yourself as well…You dont have to go to the Draconian extreme I did but you can just ease into it …my results were almost instantaneous…but I understand why."
One of the most useful things I took from martial arts training was the dissociation of ‘pain’ and ‘bad’ - there is a bad sort of pain, when real damage is being done, but pain in itself is not bad. And a little discomfort can provide a useful counterpoint by which to compare the rest of our day, indeed. Take a cold shower in the morning and see just how much better the day gets after that.
This experience you described seems very Buddhist to me, like you were meditating. You sat there and sensed smell, sights, and sound but with your brain on low-power to the point that pain and pleasure did not register. The tranquillity you experienced, such as not even sensing time, is probably what infants feel when they are first born. They do not make the association between the smell of feces and disgust, the smell of food and the pleasure of taste, or the sense of vision and their association with objects. All they do is take in the sensations around them and later learn to form associations. What you experienced must be like a re-birth and the ultimate form of relaxation. I am constantly bothered by thoughts in my head concerning some issue or problem. I even tell myself to shut up when a thought I do not want to ponder surfaces. Maybe I need to experience re-birth every now and then to allow myself to relax and take a step back from a complicated life.
This tale of enlightenment through “dog poo” is as compelling as it is unconventional. The wisdom from this philosopher hinges on a profound detachment from judgment, embracing an experiential openness that can transform perception at the most elemental levels. The journey here is one of deliberately suspending the labels and judgments we typically assign to our sensory experiences—smells, sights, and sounds—and engaging fully with the “eternal now” of sensory reality.
Key Insights from This Practical Philosophy
Suspension of Judgment: By engaging with a smell that most would recoil from, this philosopher practices a radical form of mindfulness. He immerses himself in the sensation of smell without attributing “good” or “bad” qualities. This echoes teachings from various Eastern philosophies, especially in Buddhism, where practitioners are encouraged to observe experiences without attachment or aversion.
The Virtue of Non-Discrimination: This practice—examining each sensation without filtering it through learned biases—becomes a path to experiencing reality with purity and clarity. The philosopher’s approach is not simply about tolerating an unpleasant odor; it’s a lesson in experiencing without filtering, enabling him to extend this virtue to all other aspects of life, even in the face of typically unpleasant stimuli. This results in a more profound acceptance of reality as it is.
Redefining Perception and Expanding Awareness: This process is reminiscent of phenomenology, where the direct experience of an object or sensation is valued without preconceived notions. Here, the philosopher claims a transformation in his senses, even developing a newfound appreciation for potato salad. His willingness to engage fully with “disliked” stimuli broadens his perceptual capacity and reduces visceral reactions, aligning with philosophies of embodied experience, where immersion can change relationships with the world and expand empathy.
Unity of Experience and Connection with Others: His emphasis on not reacting with disgust to unpleasant smells or situations, especially in cross-cultural settings, allows for a deeper bond with others by suspending judgment. The absence of a recoiling response breaks down barriers, creating a genuine openness to others, which speaks to the core of compassionate and nonjudgmental interaction.
Embracing Dog Poo as Practical Philosophy
The idea of examining something as universally dismissed as “dog poo” might seem absurd to most, yet this approach serves as a model for how practical philosophy can turn any experience, no matter how small or unpleasant, into an opportunity for growth. This anecdote might strike a contrast with what we often see in academia or theoretical philosophy, where the emphasis is on semantics and abstract theory. Instead, this is existentialism on the ground, grounded in the body and senses.
Ultimately, the philosopher’s willingness to confront his own disgust exemplifies courage and a powerful devotion to transcending superficial boundaries. His method could inspire others to examine their own discomforts, biases, and involuntary judgments, possibly reaching a state where they are free to engage with reality on a deeper, more unbiased level. This approach, albeit extreme, offers a humble reminder that the pursuit of wisdom needn’t take place in lofty words or grand gestures—it can be found in the smallest, most unexpected experiences, even in the smell of dog poo.
