The Infinite Wisdom of Dogs
A few months ago, I wrote an essay called Cats Might Just Be Enlightened in which I explored the wisdom of cats. As an obvious follow-up, I thought it would be interesting to ponder the wisdom of dogs as well.
Like cats, dogs have stumbled upon one of the greatest survival strategies in nature: a mutually beneficial partnership with humankind. As a result, many of them live luxurious lives, sheltered from the harsh realities of the wild and cared for as cherished members of the family.
Of course, not all dogs are lucky; stray dogs and animal cruelty still exist. Yet, it is no exaggeration to say that if people were asked to choose an animal incarnation for their next life, a great many of them would smartly decide to live as a pampered, deeply loved household dog.
So what is the wisdom of dogs? What has allowed them to form such an ancient, unbreakable bond with humanity that we instantly know who we are referring to when we mention man's best friend?
Despite always wanting a dog as a child, family allergies meant we never had one. Luckily that hasn't prevented me from having plenty of encounters and cherished memories with dogs.
Given these experiences, if I had to summarize what it means to be a dog at its core in one sentence, I would do so like this: Dogs are the embodiment of loyalty and love.
If cats bring to mind the effortless action of Taoism or the egoless presence of Zen, dogs remind us of the spiritual devotee. They evoke the heart of Bhakti yoga, a path where the ego is willingly surrendered, and love becomes the ultimate purpose of existence.
‘Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.’
-Christopher Hitchens
If we think of a cat’s default mode as independent, a dog’s default mode is relational. Their excitement is unadulterated; their obedience is rooted in profound trust and their willingness to stand by our side and support us through hardships feels almost sacred.
They possess a childlike innocence, approaching each day with an untainted enthusiasm that most humans lose somewhere along the way. They do not calculate whether loving us is 'worth it', nor do they guard their hearts against disappointment.
It reminds me of this quote by Jim Rohn:
'Welcome every human experience. You never know which one is going to turn it all on. Even the bad experiences. Sometimes from the bitterest experience comes the greatest awakening. So let down the barriers, take down the walls. The same wall that keeps out disappointment keeps out happiness. Let life touch you. Don't let it kill you, but let it touch you!'
In many ways, cats and dogs represent opposite ends of the same magnificent evolutionary coin. They achieved the exact same goal, companionship with man, through diametrically opposed means.
If the reason we love cats so much is because they unashamedly love themselves, the reason we love dogs must be because they deeply love us. And in a world where true and sincere love seems so hard to find, the unconditional love dogs radiate and demonstrate is a form of wisdom we can only hope to emulate.