"Why?" - The Question My Dog Never Asks

Puppy Hennessy alert and ready for life.

"Why?"

It's a question I often ask - to myself and before others.

• Why is the third hand on the watch called a second hand?
• Why isn't there a special name for the tops of your feet?
• Why do I eat when I'm not hungry?

And deeper questions:

• Why are we born?
• Why do we have to get old?
• Why do the Miami Dolphins often tank at the end of a season and fail to make the playoffs? 

I heard it may be a Scorpio thing - this incessant digging, probing and questioning ... to get to the bottom of things, and to discover their purpose.

The other thing I noticed is that my dog doesn't ever do any of this.

I bet you even Scorpio dogs don't hold the question of "why" on their minds. I believe it's a very human endeavor ... and one that can be as uplifting and expanding as it is exasperating and depressing.

Just look at my pooch. The picture of her as a puppy shows a very alert and attentive, as well as incredibly cute, canine. Nowadays, she will often sit there on her lovely dog bed perch and just exist. When there is someone on the porch, she will bark and race towards the door, routinely sliding into it in her haste to protect the household and all its inhabitants. When she's hungry, she'll get up and sit before her mother and just stare. It's her way of saying "Hello, I'm hungry; it's time to get up and feed me." When she has an itch, she scratches. When she's tired, she sleeps.

Never once does she, I imagine, ever ask the question "why" for any of these endeavors.

Hers, like for many animals, is a world of instinct. Need followed up by action. I don't see a hesitation between the arising need (gotta pee) and the complimentary action (stand by the door). She doesn't have to ponder deeply the purpose of what she does. It's instinctual, and the activity of questioning it would only delay the satisfaction of a filled belly, an empty bladder or a scared intruder.

And then there are us humans. The heavy plodding along to find purpose in our world. The why's and wherefores of all the slings and arrows. It's enough to send us all over the edge. It can't be as simple as a need, a feeling and then an action. We must find the underlying purpose for these behaviors and endeavors. It's not enough for us to just be ... to love what we love and to turn from that which doesn't serve us.

• A beautiful sunrise to become a smile on our face.
• A gentle hug from a friend to become joy in the heart.
• A lovely meal from a spouse to become a satisfied hunger. 

Can it be enough to live life, observe the observable, experience our desires and wants and then act upon them ... with the result being more observation, wants, needs and then actions.

Can it be that way? Can it be so effortless and free? If you say that it cannot, I just have to ask...

Why not?

James Anthony Ellis is a writer and producer living in San Diego, California, don't ask him why. He can be reached at www.LegacyProductions.org.