If you've owned a cat, you know that there is no way to force love or cooperation from certain animals. In some cases, persistence can be an asset, but in the case of cats, your zealous affection will only drive them further from your empty lap.
Dogs, on the other hand, have no standard to maintain- love is practically spelled out in their DNA.
People I think can be on either side of the spectrum but most lie somewhere in between.
Human beings generally seek to embody the independence and dignity shown in cats but also the loyalty and affection dogs naturally live by.
We want to give ourselves to others. We want to trust and be trusted. We want that connection, that bond, that sense of possession and permanence and safety.
But we're also doomed to mistrust each other because mankind is capable not only of compassion and good deeds but also reallyshittyactsofviolenceandcruelty.
In other words, people are more than capable of being flat out dicks.
And how do we go about loving and trusting people if there's always the possibility of getting hurt?
I think in order to get to this magical island of peace and contentment, where we always trust our partners and never break our promises-
-is to accept that sometimes, in fact, we will break promises and trust will have to be rebuilt. We are human. In order to give ourselves to others we have to ignore some level of our survival instincts, or our inner cat tendencies.
Embrace the dog inside your heart. Love and be loyal and have faith.
And in my girlfriend's case, obey. Heh.
But seriously.
Giving someone else control over your well-being takes even more trust. A dog's ability to obey is innate, a cat's is nonexistent, and a person's is buried deep within and requires a shit-ton of tender-love-and-care to bring it into the light.
Doing as you're told when it's fun and exciting is easy. Doing as you're told even when you don't like it or agree with it takes a special kind of commitment.
When my love comes closer to me when I tell her to, I feel warm and fuzzy inside and maybe a little *cougharousedcough*. When she stifles her criticisms about my driving, I feel touched and more trusted. And when the day comes when she gets up in the morning and exercises with me without argument, I'll know things are really starting to change.
-is to accept that sometimes, in fact, we will break promises and trust will have to be rebuilt. We are human. In order to give ourselves to others we have to ignore some level of our survival instincts, or our inner cat tendencies.
Embrace the dog inside your heart. Love and be loyal and have faith.
And in my girlfriend's case, obey. Heh.
But seriously.
Giving someone else control over your well-being takes even more trust. A dog's ability to obey is innate, a cat's is nonexistent, and a person's is buried deep within and requires a shit-ton of tender-love-and-care to bring it into the light.
Doing as you're told when it's fun and exciting is easy. Doing as you're told even when you don't like it or agree with it takes a special kind of commitment.
When my love comes closer to me when I tell her to, I feel warm and fuzzy inside and maybe a little *cougharousedcough*. When she stifles her criticisms about my driving, I feel touched and more trusted. And when the day comes when she gets up in the morning and exercises with me without argument, I'll know things are really starting to change.
I really needed this today, Sam. Thanks :)
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