Man's Best Friends

What is it about animals that makes us like them? Some people may not like animals or maybe they only like certain types of animals, but what draws us to animals?

For me, I like animals because, like humans, for the most part, if you treat them right and give them lots of love and affection, they will stick around and love you no matter what crazy stuff you do to them, like dress them up like miniature people, which I think is odd - but to each his own. You can say anything, dress anyway you want, be as weird as you normally are, and they don't care, which is what often makes them very different from most people.

Acceptance is the name of the game. We all want it. Being accepted is part of what makes us human. People love finding a place in this world, whether it's who they really are, or who they wish they were, or who others want them to be. Pretending to be something you're not isn't exactly the best way to find acceptance because you become someone you aren't, someone you could be ashamed of. And, if you can't be contented with who you are, how can you be genuinely accepted by those around you? Being able to accept yourself is the first step to being accepted by others.

So take your lesson from the animal(s) in your home (or the annoying one in someone else's). We all crave that acceptance from others, so why not give it out ourselves? Let's all be colorblind; have x-ray vision; adopt the car-lover's slogan, "under the hood we're all the same"; and while we're at it, let's join the group that believes that looks can be deceiving.