May 17, 2020

This is Dash’s favorite perch.  From this vantage, he can survey his domain.  He dashes after squirrels and people.  Does he understand what he is doing? Does he have a perception of himself and of his rank and role in his two-person pack? In other words: Is Dash a conscious being? 

Most recent studies strongly suggest that at least the higher animals do indeed possess consciousness and a sense of identity, just like humans.  They have memory, and from their memory, they can hold pictures in their minds.  In many cases when some important dilemma arises, they seem to deliberate and make decisions before they act, especially when their actions will affect those they consider their family or their packmates. 

Many dog owners say, “My dog thinks he’s a person.”  That’s not true. Rather, your dog thinks you’re a dog.  To be sure you are a very strange dog, using only two legs, barking with strange sounds, spending too much time with that rectangular thing in your hand, and hardly aware of the fantastic smells everywhere.

This may seem quaint.  But consider this: What do you think about God or the angels? Sure, you know that angels and God are not human.  But don’t we speak and act toward them and evaluate their thoughts and actions from a human perspective?  Yes, we do, because we don’t have any other vantage point.  We treat angels and God as though they were human.  Fortunately, God and the angels understand our weakness, so when angels appear to us, they appear in human form.  As for God, we know what He did.  He became man.