Owning A Dog

 

On August 4, 2023, Dennis Prager put out one of his short videos about the death of his bulldog, Otto, and his thoughts about it. I took notes on the vide and will comment on it.

 

Prager: I have three concerns: People are replacing the love of people with the love of pets. High school students: 1/3 said they would save a dog over the needs of a strange human, and one 1/3 third would save the human first, and one third were unsure which way to go.

 

Concern No. 1: Why save the dog over the strange, and they answered, I love my dog. I do not love the stranger.

 

We live in an age of feelings not an age of values. Society has abandoned Bible-based values, so it no longer regards humans as special because they are made in God’s image. Secular society allows us to value dogs over people.

 

 

My response: Prager is an altruist and I am an egoist, but he is a moderate altruist, and he does see the egoist point of view to some degree, though he never talks that way. People follow their feelings, and to follow their values that are rational, objective, and individualistic. We live in an age of feelings; feelings are subjective, irrational, and collective, so the worth of the

e life of a stranger does not impact this young people, and that is said and wicked.

 

Prager: Concern  No. 2: People not wants kids so they get pets and call their pets their children.

 

My response: Prager wants us to have children and we should favor kids over dogs.

 

Prager: Concern No. 3:  People that are cruel to animals will be cruel to humans. But the converse is not true:  Kindness to animals not nearly as likely to lead to kindness to humans.

 

My response; He is right, but we are subjective and feel, so those in our lives, unless we are pathological, we will be kind to them, our dogs say, but strange humans are not part of our lives, so we are often unable to feel pity or mercy towards the other, the strange.

 

Prager: It is okay for people to love a dog as long as they do not deny that humans are of greater worth and do not equate animals with humans.

 

My response: I agree.

 

Prager: Go ahead and love a dog—they are God’s gift to mankind. We can get another dog after losing a pet, but we cannot get another child after losing a child.

 

People always adopt a dog, though they know they will lose him, and that will sadden them.

 

A lesson to be learned here: There is some pain associated with what was worthwhile, perhaps great pain. If you want to live pain-free, you will not live a full life.

 

My comment: his level of wisdom always impresses and amazes me.