Dogs bark but the caravan moves on - Another one of the Arab sayings which I found interesting in my school days. (Not sure if many in the new generation know that Caravans have another meaning - Not just the van which they get taken to soccer practice but a group of Arabs and their camels travelling across desert)
Culturally, I was brought up to believe in fate. There is a superior power who decides what is going to happen in our lives. There is nothing much one can do other than do our best to work with it. Focus on out duties (Karma) without any attachment or expectation of the results. The achievements you get, will be decided by god. So this proverb strengthened the view that life keeps moving forward whether we or any body else complains (Bark!).
One of my close friends had a different take on this proverb. He equated to the caravan to life and the barking to the issues we face. So in his view, however difficult the situation is (Loud barking), life moves on and that difficult situation will also pass. A very comforting thought in these days when we face an onslaught of issues from every direction. "This too shall pass" is something which helps us get through those dark nights.
In our professional lives, we sometimes have to fight lonely battles to do what is right. We have a number of our colleagues discouraging or warning us not to proceed. And in my opinion, we need to stick to our beliefs and keep persevering. As we move forward, one step at a time, the barking fades into the distance and we are that much closer to our destination. The caravans are like our beliefs and we need to stick to them while people bark all around us. Our journey is all ours and we need to keep our eyes on the target not get distracted by the nay Sayers.
What do you think?