Dig Holes

A man’s best friend is a dog. Humans have a perception that they are animals and are below us. They lack the mental ability we have, they cannot speak our language, and they rely on their owner to take care of them. In these senses, dogs are below humans on the totem pole of life. But, dogs also have personalities. They have needs in the same ways we do. Some breeds of dogs have spent generations following a sense of purpose. Without this purpose, these dogs can be lost. Humans are just like these breeds of dogs in this way. Without purpose, we can drift through life lost.

There are specific breeds of dogs that need different things. I am not referring to lap dogs that lay around all day. These dogs need food, shelter, and love and they are content. The dogs I am referencing are dogs like Retrievers or German Shepherds. They have their purpose in their names. Retrievers must “retrieve” and German Shepherds must “shepherd” in order to live the best lives they can live. These dogs have a higher sense and need for their life than just lounging around. These dogs have a biological need to be of service. Without feeling like a part of the family, without having a routine, and without feeling needed, these types of dogs will become restless, and anxious, and will find other ways to spend their energy. One way is by digging holes in a yard. From a human perspective, it is a nasty habit but the dog is digging holes to find an outlet for the anxiety and stress they feel for being “unneeded” and unimportant. Dogs dig holes when they do not have purpose.

Explaining this perspective showcases that humans and dogs have extreme similarities in this way. Humans without purpose and a reason for living easily become lost. We can slip through life like a plastic bag in the ocean—moving where the current takes us. Days become weeks which then become years. We are lost without purpose. A lot of times we succumb to vices so we can “feel” something in our lives. Drugs, eating, alcohol, porn, gambling, many addictions stem from not having purpose in one’s life. These vices become the “holes” that humans dig in their lives. It is not a dog digging up a garden but it is just as destructive.

We share much more with a man’s best friend than we initially expect. In the absence of service, meaning, and routines, humans find themselves on a path destined for self-destruction. Without meaning, humans will dig holes in their lives, just like their pet companions. Find purpose and redirect your digging elsewhere.