Often, when I express the opinion that we humans are just one facet of a singular universal reality, people either scratch their heads or roll their eyes. Putting intelligent human beings on the same level as rocks, trees or slugs seems like a preposterous supposition to most folks. We have language, the arts, science and religion; these developments place us at the top of the heap, most people think.
I can understand why this idea of all things being equal seems so asinine to most people. I was reminded of how appearances can be deceptive by watching my dog, Jasmine. Jazz is a pointer-retriever mix. The latter part of her makeup explains why she loves to spend each day carrying around one or more of her many toys in her mouth. Her two favorite toys are both made of cloth -- a monkey and a skunk.
Monkey and Skunkie are never far away from her. Monkey no longer has a head and is missing a leg. Skunkie has been reduced to three small fragments. But whether a whole toy or a small fragment, one of these two "creatures" can almost always be found in her mouth.
Now, the average person would view this behavior as instinctual, at best, or idiotic, at worst. They would point to the fact that frantically running around all day we a toy animal clenched in one's teeth accomplishes nothing. Such people would opine that we humans don't engage in similar behaviors.
But is that really true?
Many humans have their ears permanently attached to cell phones. They can't seem to go anywhere without them. They engage in meaningless chatter in the aisles of the local grocery store or while driving from here to there. They can't seem to walk more than a few feet without talking on it, listening to messages or texting someone.
Some people can't go anywhere without a cigarette in their fingers or a drink in their hand. Others are constantly playing with their blackberries or iPods. Still others are nothing without surrounding themselves with people whom they treat no better than Monkey or Skunkie. They can't stand to be alone without someone else to chew on!
You see, when we stand back to look at our world with open eyes, the behaviors of dogs (or rocks, trees or slugs) isn't that different from our own. Each entity engages in basically the same behaviors; the only differences are in scope and degree.
We are, in essence, ALL part of one singular universal reality.
I can understand why this idea of all things being equal seems so asinine to most people. I was reminded of how appearances can be deceptive by watching my dog, Jasmine. Jazz is a pointer-retriever mix. The latter part of her makeup explains why she loves to spend each day carrying around one or more of her many toys in her mouth. Her two favorite toys are both made of cloth -- a monkey and a skunk.
Monkey and Skunkie are never far away from her. Monkey no longer has a head and is missing a leg. Skunkie has been reduced to three small fragments. But whether a whole toy or a small fragment, one of these two "creatures" can almost always be found in her mouth.
Now, the average person would view this behavior as instinctual, at best, or idiotic, at worst. They would point to the fact that frantically running around all day we a toy animal clenched in one's teeth accomplishes nothing. Such people would opine that we humans don't engage in similar behaviors.
But is that really true?
Many humans have their ears permanently attached to cell phones. They can't seem to go anywhere without them. They engage in meaningless chatter in the aisles of the local grocery store or while driving from here to there. They can't seem to walk more than a few feet without talking on it, listening to messages or texting someone.
Some people can't go anywhere without a cigarette in their fingers or a drink in their hand. Others are constantly playing with their blackberries or iPods. Still others are nothing without surrounding themselves with people whom they treat no better than Monkey or Skunkie. They can't stand to be alone without someone else to chew on!
You see, when we stand back to look at our world with open eyes, the behaviors of dogs (or rocks, trees or slugs) isn't that different from our own. Each entity engages in basically the same behaviors; the only differences are in scope and degree.
We are, in essence, ALL part of one singular universal reality.
Interesting comparison! The more I learn about psychology (from diligent amateur study; alas, I am no longer in school), the more bemused I am by humans' ability to rationalize behaviors and thoughts that are actually driven by instinct, emotion, habit. The more emotionally tangled one's psyche, the more quickly the rationalizations roll off the tongue!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read anything by ethologist Robert Ardrey? He was in some other profession, but came to ethology (the study of social behavior in animals) late in life because he found it fascinating. His books are full of vivid anecdotes and fun to read. My favorite is The Territorial Imperative. Short but sweet!
Nope. Never heard of the book, but it's available from our library system, so I've added it to my reading list. Thanks for the recommendation!!
ReplyDeleteI think dogs are comparitable to children. A child might grow very attached to some sort of toy or blanket, and they feel secure as long as it's with them and upset if it isn't. I wouldn't be suprised for dogs to feel something similar. The breed might have something to do with it as well. My dog is part shi tzu, which is a temple dog. He is happy as long as he is in the same room. If we leave the room, he has to follow. He's not attached to an object, but he isn't an object driven dog type so maybe that's the only difference. I'm his object instead of a toy.
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