You have to admire the dedication of pets!

dennis22554dennis22554
in General

My Coonhound is always unselfishly happy to see me every day, and I often wonder what goes through her brain as she stares up at me, besides thoughts of bacon I feed her as a treat on the weekend! Wouldn't interactions with humans be so much simpler in life if all it took us in life to be happy was bacon? It would be a nicer, less crazy world!

Comments

  • happyhourhappyhour

    Pigs may disagree.
    Eat more chicken. Eat more cow.

  • ViancaVianca

    Most likely just happy to see you. They understand routine once established and are comforted by the consistency. Food is just the reward/necessity. Humans and their interactions would be better off without money. Look up what happened when scientist introduced money into a monkey community 😆

  • dennis22554dennis22554

    She is obviously happy to see me---the bacon treat is part of our weekend journey adventures--my post was more on the figurative than literal------and simply was meant to reflect that wouldn't people be happier if took a break--and stopped making life so complicated--just breathe once in a while---go splash in a mudd puddle andd then cuddle?

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery

    On a surface level, yes - enjoying the small pleasures in life can temporarily boost happiness. However, both animals and humans need safe, healthy, and supportive environments in order to thrive ans be happy... And that's just not reality for a large number of people.

    Our pets lives are far more simple than ours, provided they have security and care from the people in their environment. They don't have to worry about jobs, money, health insurance, the government, etc. All they know is if their humans care for them and if their needs are being met. As long as their needs are being met, they're generally going to be free to enjoy life (though mood disorders do happen in animals, too!).

    We humans are not quite so lucky. Because of our highly complex social structures and more complex brains, far more of our lives has the danger of shit hitting the fan. We could have amazing loving caretakers (i.e. parents, family, partners), but struggle with food or shelter security. We could have financial security, which in turn helps with food and shelter, but then struggle with social connections. We're far more likely to have and survive major health crises than our animal friends, leading to more longer term impacts on our ability to enjoy life.

    tl;dr: while it's great to remind ourselves to enjoy the small things when we're able, it's also important to not slip into toxic positivity where people who are struggling are shamed for circumstances often beyond their control. A person can absolutely enjoy the roses and mud puddles, and then still end up depressed, anxious, and struggling to make ends meet or connections with other people.

  • ShaneSchruteShaneSchrute
    edited July 2024

    @cuddlefaery you make some really good points. Toxic positivity is a real danger; especially when people try to “fake it ‘til you make it!” If you never make it then you’re not only going to end up depressed but also exhausted from trying all the time.

    I wonder how much difference awareness makes in the unwavering hopefulness that a dog has. Would they still have hope if they knew they were going to die one today?

    But yeah I would love to have the life, hope and love that a dog has. Maybe some cool aliens can take me and make me their pet; then I could experience a little of what it must be like to be happy like a dog.

  • dennis22554dennis22554

    I give up again

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