The Year of the Ox

I won’t presume to pretend I know anything about the Chinese calendar, or the meanings attributed to its zodiac symbols. (For that we have Wikipedia. ) But I can’t help feeling how auspicious it is that 2009 begins the Year of the Ox.

Oxen are perhaps the most under-valued of work animals, doing the hardest, heaviest labor with little glory or thanks. The year ahead, as we rebuild our economy and our communities, will certainly require some heavy lifting. Every person will need to take on some additional burdens, impossibly heavy, and find some extra measure of strength and determination to move forward.

Oxen move slowly, ploddingly. They take small, measured steps but they always put down one foot after the other. Not much moves an ox off-course.  Again, a good lesson for us to take into the new year.

We can’t attempt to solve all our problems — dwindling resources, a failing educational system, high unemployment, and all — at once. We can’t even tackle one of these problems in one fell swoop.  We must break each down into tiny, tiny steps, and take each step with determination and courage. For more on this, I suggest reading Dr. Robert Maurer’s excellent work, One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way.

Finally, oxen work best when yoked together. The power of two or more is exponentially greater than one alone. They instinctively pull together to lessen the burden for everyone. They have their eyes fixed on a common goal, and moving together, step by slow, methodical step, they get their precious cargo moving forward. Once momentum is established, the load moves easier, and the work accomplished.

We could all take lessons from the Ox.

Wishing you great prosperity and joy.