Saturday, August 3, 2019

Why are we supposed to care when some actor we’ve never heard of says they are homosexual?  Seriously? Is this just their publicist trying to get them clicks? (Dumb question, of course it is.) Perhaps fifteen years ago it was a shock or big deal if a celebrity "came out." Now, it seems to be a cry for attention or to make claims about ongoing discrimination.

On another note.

I read an article recently by animal activists about pets and how wrong of us it is to keep them. It pointed out how much emotional attachment, dependence, and satisfaction we expect from them. How we have bred them to a way that is not good for them.

I tend to agree with the article, which is funny because I am in no way an animal activist. However, I do see how people are incredibly emotionally involved with their animals, more than with people and their family members. And I do see how people expect their pets to live a lifestyle that is against nature: taking the claws off cats, keeping a dog inside and sedentary 95% of the day.

I see this behavior as a symptom of our rampant narcissism. We want control and our way, but a fellow human being will not mold to our wills, will talk back, will tell us they don’t want to be controlled. An animal will not do these things. They can't talk back; at most they urinate inconveniently if annoyed. A dog will be loyal as long as you take care of it, and I suppose a cat will, too, to the extent a cat is “loyal.” (Not a cat person, but I can see how they are comforting in a tactile way.) And my dog is funny and interesting and tries to control us, and their intelligence is of its own sort.

Of course, I understand the affection, but we’ve taken it to an incredible level. I was in Boston last week and watched people walking their dogs in the city (mostly to defecate) and wondered what they did with the dogs all day. I see dogs of every size and shape and marvel at our genetic engineering that creates a toy Chihuahua and a massive Great Pyrenees (which I would love to have if I had the room), and then I get angry that the animals have been designed in a way that keeps them from breathing normally (pugs) or give birth naturally (bulldogs). 

My own dog is driving us crazy biting her tail into a bloody mass that is getting on the carpet. Despite medication, no less. We attached a sock to her tail so she couldn’t do it. She seems to sense the relief it gives her and doesn’t try to take it off. It's not fleas because my husband is quite allergic to them and we would know if it were fleas.

Finally, with the term starting and increased responsibilities at work, I am not sure where my writing will go.  I have the beginning chapters of two novels and outlines for two Bible study books, but . . . choosing to put aside these works for now is rather freeing.  
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