My Writing Life: Why Dogs Hump and Bees get Depressed by Marc Bekoff

It was by accident that I stumbled upon the sunflowers and almost fell onto them when several bees were busy on them a few weeks ago. I thought my unexpected interference would upset them, but I was wrong. The bees kept their attention on their tasks as if nothing had happened. As I reflected upon my experience, I concluded that I was familiar to them; after all, I tend to my garden regularly, so why would they treat me with distrust?

Two days later, I came across an interesting essay that mentioned that bees are able to recognize individual human faces. I got a bit emotional when I read it, and then I searched more about this subject and found several articles online about research on this topic. At the library, I landed on Marc Bekoff’s book: Why Dogs Hump and Bees get Depressed. His book is a compilation of essays about the fascinating science of animal intelligence, emotions, friendship and conservation.

Don’t be fooled by the small size of the bees’ brains, because size does not matter when it comes to intelligence. The complexity of their neurons correlates with their intelligence. Their tiny brains use abstract thought and symbolic language; in fact, bees have multiple abilities:

“Each day they solve advanced mathematical problems of how to most efficiently travel between multiple sites. They know when to mix medications for the hive and distinguish complex landscape scenes, including types of flowers, shapes and patterns. Bees also learn categories and sequences and adjust them for future rewards. They are masters of mazes and show short-term and long-term memory, ranging from days to entire life spans.”

One important concept he debunks is that of speciesism, or the idea that there are higher and lower classes of animals, a hierarchy that is used to justify the abuse of animals. In his essays Bekoff examines the science about morality, intelligence, emotions in non-human animals. He emphasizes the presence of empathy and cooperation and highlights the need to understand that animals have individual personalities. Furthermore, he explains that, just like human animals, non-human beings are also affected by traumatic experiences and psychological distress.

Pigs, for example, hate to be kept in filthy conditions, and you may be shocked to learn that when you use the word “pig” as an insult, you are giving somebody a compliment, because pigs are empathic complex creatures. They are intelligent and sensitive. The same concept applies to other animals, and the more we learn, the more we need to open our minds to new possibilities.

If you have been following this blog, you know how much I cherish books about animals, and I have to confess that Marc Bekoff’s books are my favorite ones. He has a special way of sparking my curiosity and awakening my fascination, encouraging me to read more and do more to expand my compassion footprint. This specific book was published nine years ago, and the scientific information he shared is more relevant now, because research in this field has continued to evolve and to help us gain a better understanding of the foundation of knowledge he provided.

The essays he included were blog posts published in Psychology Today a decade ago, and I am happy to report that he continues blogging for this site.

I also appreciate the fact that he includes several book recommendations about related topics. Marc Bekoff is an ethologist. An ethologist is a scientist who studies animal behavior. Bekoff is good at explaining complex subjects in simple terms, but what I enjoy the most about his writing is his enthusiasm to inspire us to make positive changes wherever we are. I appreciate his courage and embrace his compassionate nature, which he puts to good use, for his talents promote positive changes in the lives of others, both human and non-human beings.

Marc Bekoff’s spirit is a wellspring of hope and action. He is an excellent role model of perseverance and patience. The light of his wisdom reminds us to never be sidetracked by the naysayers.

This is a thoroughly researched read; it is entertaining, educational and life-transforming.

Research has clearly shown that animals kept as pets have a positive effect on the mental and emotional health of their caregivers, so if we know this, why is it okay to abuse them?

The Physicians Committee for responsible medicine shared some important information this week, and I hope it encourages you to take action.

“Wayne State University in Detroit subjects dogs to invasive, painful experiments in which devices are implanted in the animals’ chest, in their hearts and around major arteries. The experiments, which have not resulted in any improvements for human patients, have cost taxpayers 12 million dollars and have killed hundreds of dogs. Please, tell the leaders of Wayne State to end these experiments immediately and focus on human-relevant research.”

Take action at EndDogExperiments.org

I always say that what we do to the animals, we do to ourselves. Violent human actions including polluting the environment have a deleterious effect on our present and future and they contribute to destroy our home: Mother earth. We are all interconnected in the web of life, so we need to do our best to live in harmony with each other.

Dr. Monica Aggarwal is a cardiologist who is supporting her patients by encouraging them to adopt meaningful healthy lifestyle choices. One of her patients had 9 stents placed in his heart. He was very frustrated and wanted to improve his life to stop going to the hospital. Dr. Aggarwal told him that the food he was eating was hurting his heart. Her patient hunted for a living, but Dr. Aggarwal inspired him to adopt a plant-based diet and his life changed for the better. They worked together consistently and her patient has not been back to the cardiac catheterization lab in almost five years.

Her patient is no longer a hunter, because he does not want to give meat to anybody else.

Here’s an interview with Dr. Monica Aggarwal, cardiologist.