Where choice begins, Paradise ends, innocence ends, for what is Paradise but the absence of any need to choose this action?- Arthur Miller
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I don't think it's a lack of culpability thing. Though you're right in that I purposefully don't have friends who have tendencies to make my life worse (imo) by puking on my carpet, but I don't see pets vs friends as an either/or situation where one is more desired than the other. They're for different times. Friends are for when I am feeling more extroverted, when I want good conversation. As someone with growing introvert tendencies, my cats are for when I want downtime, a snuggling purring lump of happiness on my lap while I read. They're comforting, they're low-key, and they love me unconditionally, so that's pretty great, too, when I'm stressed out-- and when I'm stressed out, even low-key and positive hangouts with other people can tap my reserves.
I think the main difference between pet people and non-pet people is some indefinable concoction of hormones, and what triggers them. Some people get that oxytocin burst of happiness and connection when they look at a baby. That's pretty rare for me. But I know when I've got Nox purring up against me or Olive licking my nose, I get that same shot of hormonal love cocktail that other people get when they look at babies. I think it's just wiring.
I think you've mostly nailed it on the wiring thing.
The drunk friend was clearly a bad analogy, since it seems to be reading as 'that kind of person' instead of 'most people are occasionally avoidably awful' and also, yeah, obviously not an either/or choice on friends or animals. I myself like pets, just not with the same dedication some other people do. It's a thing I think is interesting.
This was prompted by a couple different 'pets are so much better than people' comments in different contexts, and I didn't really address that at all.
I think the main difference between pet people and non-pet people is some indefinable concoction of hormones, and what triggers them. Some people get that oxytocin burst of happiness and connection when they look at a baby. That's pretty rare for me. But I know when I've got Nox purring up against me or Olive licking my nose, I get that same shot of hormonal love cocktail that other people get when they look at babies. I think it's just wiring.
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The drunk friend was clearly a bad analogy, since it seems to be reading as 'that kind of person' instead of 'most people are occasionally avoidably awful' and also, yeah, obviously not an either/or choice on friends or animals. I myself like pets, just not with the same dedication some other people do. It's a thing I think is interesting.
This was prompted by a couple different 'pets are so much better than people' comments in different contexts, and I didn't really address that at all.
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