Is your dog conscious?
Ask any pet owners, of course they will say that dogs are capable of feeling human emotions such as happiness, sadness, and everything in between. Some cases even shows that they are able to feel these emotions more intense than any regular human being.
I’m a huge fans of dogs. Not only for their cuteness but also their characteristics and their capability towards emotions. I think they are quite amazing beings!
There was a discussion between me and my friend regarding the soul of animals. My friend (A) was totally fucking devastated to hear the news when my other friend (B) tell him that there’s no heaven for dogs.
The question that I want to ask now is:
Why does it matter our belief whether those dogs have soul or not influence us our love towards those dogs?
Why does it matter the afterlife of dogs can influence us to love our dogs less?
At this point, the word “soul” just represent a concept or belief. It’s almost as if it’s only being used to describe something that is beyond its biological counterparts. As if the biological counterparts as a stand alone is something less compared to something that is deemed to have a “soul”.
Why can’t a biological counterpart as a stand alone, the magnificient of it that over million of years of evolution from wolves to become dogs that are able to feel compassion, love, and sadness can’t be appreciated as it is? What is it with humans and their obsessive fear towards mortality? Why can’t love the dog as it is? In the now. In the world. In this life, regardless of what happens to them in the afterlife.
That’s the same thing with how some humans choose to treat other humans. These whole belief and clustering of certain group. Especially crediting the situation of me with my parents. Why can’t they just love me as I am, in this world, in this life? Why must my belief towards afterlife be deemed as “Such a shame”.
Is it because me as a human being has higher consciousness than dogs? Based on their empirical argument?
Is it because there is an information hazard that comes with religion?
“Such a shame this kid now will now go to hell.”
How come there’s a belief that can influence one’s conviction of love based on opinion that other people have created? It’s almost as if, everything that exists in this world is greatly discounted based on the belief.
Why can’t they appreciate me as I am? Why can’t they see and enjoy the things in life as it is? Why must everything has greater meaning that lives on a spiritual plane?
It’s ridiculous to the point that now they are living and be more intouch with their fantasy rather than to live inside of this very real world. But that’s what major religion teach us! Love God or perish in hell!
Have they really convince themselves that they are actually lost without their religion? Will they be absolutely depressed and torn apart when they realize that God never answers their prayers when the horrible consistently happens? Do people only believes in God because the good consistently happen or when the bad happens they want to cling to God by means of hope? Don’t they have a spine on their own? What happens when they realize the only free agent to determine own circumstances are mostly on their control to change how they see the world? The ability to give meaning to each to its own life is entirely up to what they want to believe. “I live because the mountains do not laugh and the worms do not sing.” Most things in life are always as it is. The impression of how you want things to be is entirely up to you. The Dogs will always be as they are! Will your dog love you less if they know that you don’t believe that they have souls? No! You’re the only agent that allow yourself to love your dog less based on your own belief or opinion about the world.
The Dogs are always as they are.
The people around you will always be as they are.
Why let your belief about the world discount the value of the great things that at least we know truly exist in this world?
Maintaining the same argument that the people around you will always stay as they are regardless of your opinion about life. It could also mean when your opinion is influenced by religion, it can shape your opinion about them to be better. Let’s say for example you are gathered with them, bonded by the shared value of religion that you want to celebrate christmas and play christmas games with them in which that activity may not exist.
So based on how one view religion, it can be an enhancer on one’s opinion on life but could also be a discounter.
This is where I believe most people that I’ve met is believing in religion with moderation. As much as God says “worship me or perish in hell”. They would still like to add value on the current life and don’t let the value of afterlife greatly overshadows the value of the current life. If they really fully commit what the religion teaches them, it would rationally make sense for them to spend the majority of their time to worship God for a better chance to be placed on the highest level of heaven and to know more about God and His ideals to decrease any chance of going to hell. Because for highest degree of believing, it’ll all be “worth it”.