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True Love
Illustration from Beloved Dog by Maira Kalman
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16 comments for “True Love”
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Yes, dogs truly are special beings! Nothing like them.
I can’t get enough of my beautie, Rose.
Very true. You look into their eyes and you know that. And dogs exhibit so much dignity, more than most people in many respects.
What does dignity mean to you, Robin?
hmmm … maybe a truer self-awareness? Modesty and innate cleanliness? More patience? Transparency? More in touch with their essential dog-ness than many people are with who they are, essentially. I’m not sure any of those things would normally be linked to dignity individually, but in sum it all adds up to that to me. I do know I respect them more than many people. I think that evokes the idea of dignity too.
Plus I think a lot of people actively try to NOT be dignified (thinking of celebrity/reality TV for example … not to mention some presidential debaters!) so I appreciate dogs all the more.
I’m loving your definition of dignity.
I’m asking myself a lot these days what I am truly passionate about and the only thing I’ve ever truly cared about is taking care of my animals. I don’t care how hungry, tired, or broke I am, I do anything it takes and think of myself as an animal caregiver. Then I wonder if it’s wrong that I’m not as passionate about my real career.
Do you want to be more passionate about your career?
That depends, does it really make a difference? I’m not sure I know what that would look like. My parents constantly told me as a child that everybody hates their job anyway so I should choose a field where I can make a lot of money, and I did. Being completely financially independent is nice, I have to admit.
Where do you think your parents got the idea that everybody hates their job?
Well, my dad is from a third world country and my mother also grew up in a large family on a shoe string budget so to them, money was the goal. I think they have a point. Almost everyone I know would rather be doing something else with their time, but it takes a lot to get by these days.
That makes a lot of sense. Passion is important, and so is a roof your head.
“..the only thing I’ve ever truly cared about is taking care of my animals” – I am completely the same!
I think it’s perfectly fine to not be as passionate about your job/career as you are about something that matters more to you. ‘Passion’ is a word that’s thrown around a lot these days, sort of cheaply, and most people don’t even know what it really means. I can truly say I am passionate about my dogs as I would and do make sacrifices for them. For my job, not so much.
For you, Robin, are passion and sacrifice inextricably linked?
Well, just thinking of the etymology of the word (from the Latin passio – to suffer). I would say there is an element of hardship to achieving or committing to anything you care about.
I think the word is often used kind of glibly now, people saying they have a passion for shoes, or chocolate or things like that. Words and their meanings always become corrupted, or evolve, over time, but I find it interesting, sometimes illuminating, to think about what the original meaning of the word was.
Sacrifice is an interesting word too.