On the American plains, cattle and buffalo respond to an approaching storm in opposite ways. Cattle run from it, and because they can never outrun the weather, they end up drenched and exhausted. Buffalo turn and charge straight into it, taking the worst of the discomfort early and coming out the other side faster and stronger.
Bigelow opens his book with that powerful image, and it has become the passage readers mention to him most often when they reach out. It is also a fair summary of his argument. Most of us behave like cattle when conflicts rage. We avoid, we delay, we build a case against the other person, and the storm catches us regardless.
