Well, here we are, about to ring in the new year and once again I couldn't be happier. Not that I had anything against 08, it was as good a year as I could have hoped for, but it's over now and I'm all about the future. The way I see it, if 08 was a good year, then 09, being one number higher should be all that much better! -- Yes, yes, that makes perfect sense.
I must say I learned a great deal about the world this year, most of it just from listening to Mom & Dad and watching TV. One thing in particular thats become obvious is how different dogs and humans see the world. I used to believe that humans were superior to dogs in every way, but now I'm not too sure. If there's one thing I've learned about humans it's this: Even though humans are considered the master species, they don't alway make the smartest decisions. I know that may be hard to believe, but it's true, I've seen it with my own eyes. When it comes to the simplest things in life, it's surprising how often Humans get it wrong.
For one thing they insist on over complicating everything. For humans it seems life is a never ending chain of events that begins the moment they wake up and ends only when they go to sleep. Almost from the moment they get up it's as though they're on a mission. They alway have a million things to do and never enough time to do them. They're always trying to stay on a schedule and always running late. They use clocks to tell them what time to wake up, what time to go to sleep, what time to eat, when to start work and when to take a break. It's amazing to see but those clocks rule their world.
Dogs on the other hand have flexible schedules, which is just the way we like it. We get up whenever we like, we eat whenever food is available, and from the moment we step outside, we're free to poop wherever we please. It doesn't get any simpler then that. Dogs don't need clocks to tell us when to have fun or when to take a nap, these things come natural to a dog. To a humans almost nothing comes natural, --- and when it does, its general looked down upon as being either immoral, unhealthy or illegal.
Like I said, almost everything about the human species is hopelessly over complicated. Even they way they ring in the new year is dictated by a clock. In New York City for instance, humans gather by the thousands, standing for hours in the frigid cold, waiting and watching a giant steel ball covered in light bulbs. I have no idea what it all means but for some inexplicable reason humans think this is all very exciting. Then, just before midnight the giant ball begins its slow descent down a big metal pole and everyone begins to scream. At the moment the ball reaches the bottom everyone yells "Happy New Year" at the top of their lungs and begins to celebrate. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen, it doesn't make a lick of sense to me, but then again, what do I know, I'm just a dog.
Anyway, this is just one of a thousand examples of how humans always have to make a big deal out of everything. Dogs would never think to stand out in the cold for hours waiting for a ball to drop unless it was something to play with afterwards. What would be the point?
Oh well, what can I say, humans live complicated lives; dogs are simple. We don't need clocks and flashing lights to know when to have a good time. To dogs it's only natural. There's no question Humans are smarter, but as far as I can see being smart has nothing to do with happiness. If only humans could be a little more like dogs and just learn to accept the world as it is, rather then spending all their time trying to control it, they'd have more time to enjoy themselves, the way dogs do. There would surely be a lot less fighting and a lot more playing. And even if everything that needed to get done didn't, it probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I may not be an expert in such matters but to me it's all very clear: If humans were truly smart the first thing they would do is throw away all the clocks and just take a good long nap.
Wouldn't that just be a nice way to start the new year.
Happy New Year
Reilly and friends..
