I consider myself to be an optimistic, friendly dog on average.  I'm usually not ruffled by the various knocks that a dog takes as he tries to deal with the vagaries of life.  I may bark a little here and there, and have a few angry moments; but over time my behavior and temperament stops meandering and reverts back to the mean, the average Buffy-like countenance.  You probably know what I mean to say , as you likely have an average look that describes your own typical demeanor and appearance. The mean is a tough taskmaster.  It acts like gravity and pulls down all of my efforts to fly via change and self improvement, back towards the norm.  I may set out one day with a plan to be the best dog I can be for 24 hours; soon as I know it some angry, crabby dog gets me riled and I revert back to my mean.  In my case that's a well intentioned poodle, trying to be better, but unable to be as saintly as I would like to be.  My mean behavior is inside my head; it's hardwired and software programmed into my consciousness.  It seems that despite all of my efforts, it's hard to rise above my average level of greatness. Perhaps you too find it difficult to rise above your own normal brilliance.  Still, it is possible to improve yourself, given the will and the effort.  Changing the meanness of society is a more difficult task. 

     Socrates, a famous dog from ancient times, if I have that right; maintained that while it's possible to change oneself, it's near impossible to improve the nature of society.  I might have to agree with my main dog on that point.  Our efforts at changing dog society through manipulation of the social, political and educational systems are sometimes effective in the short run. They may actually move the mean upwards , in a positive direction.  That is progress, but the mean still persists.  Remove the props and supports of those manipulations, and canine social comity quickly comes crashing down to its wild , animal-like state.  Humans, too, have seen once civilized countries revert back to the mean, and have seen their citizens behave like kennels full of angry territorial animals.  The ability to change oneself from within, as Socrates notes, can be accomplished through education, self-will, and self criticism.  One can only hope that enough other dogs buy into that concept, and that they can agree on what type of change is positive for all. The presence of that mean mean suggests otherwise. 

     If you want to settle down a kennel full of barking dogs, give each of them a steak bone and they'll be quiet for awhile.  Take a picture, record the quiet, and preserve the moment for posterity.  The bones will soon be picked clean and things will revert back to the mean.  Amidst the barking and the clamor, perhaps there will be a few dogs willing and able to rise above the average, and  pull enough other dogs in their direction. A dog who espouses a saner, kinder world must begin with himself.  He must strive nail by nail, paw by paw; one way or another, this way or that; to rise above the pack, and make the world a little less harsh in his or her own way. If he is in the right place at the right time, he might even change society. He must find his own higher meaning in eliciting the means, to reduce the meanness of the mean. Hopefully the final end of his efforts doesn't involve hemlock.( if you know what I mean.)