Dead Horses

Texas wisdom says that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. However, in the Church we often try other strategies with dead horses, including the following:

• Changing riders
• Buying a strong whip
• Trying a new bit or bridle
• Moving the horse to a new location
• Riding the horse for longer periods of time
• Saying things like, "This is the way we have always ridden this horse."
• Appointing a committee to study the horse
• Arranging to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.
• Increasing the standards for riding dead horses.
• Creating a test for measuring our riding ability
• Comparing the state of dead horses today
• Complaining about the state of dead horses today
• Coming up with new styles of riding dead horses
• Blaming the horse's parents
• Tightening the cinch
• Passing legislation which declares that "this horse is not dead!"
• Harnessing several dead horses together for increased speed
• Trying to resuscitate the dead horse
• Praying for the dead horse to be resurrected
• Convince a stranger that the dead horse is resting up for the next day's work.
• Sell the dead horse to the stranger.

Author: Fr. Ed Gustafson in Green Valley, Az.