Getting rid of inconsistency in writing

NAIROBI: If you think explaining to someone the meaning of the simple word ‘consistency’ is easy, you’d better think again. The other day, a kid demanded to know the meaning of this word that featured in last week’s piece. I tried many a time but he seemed unable to get it. What finally worked was a story about a loyal dog in the international media many years ago. The story goes...

Every morning the pet accompanied her master to the bus stop on his way to work and returned to the spot at dusk to welcome him and escort him back home. She performed this ritual without fail. One fateful day, she escorted him as usual in the morning, but he fell ill at work and died. On that day the dog went to the bus stop normally and waited for her master, oblivious of what had happened to him, but returned home alone. After two days, the man was buried, but for a decade, the dog kept consistently going to the bus stop in the evening to check whether her boss would turn up. She would wait for some time and then return home. This story could explain why some people aren’t amused by those who eat dog meat. “How can you eat a friend?” they wonder. The kid was happy and sad.