Rudy was an amazing being💛I love, and will cherish the picture of him walking-in, holding space at the front of the mat and joyfully bowing you all into the Aikido energy.
Scott, in the example you'd given regarding your dog, Rudy, who died three years ago, here's a part of your description; "If I was unwell, Rudy seemed to feel it. If I was hurting, he hurt too. He experienced our joys, frustrations, and routines as something shared rather than individualized.
What fascinated me most was how he interpreted the actions of others. If someone did something to Rudy, he rarely experienced it as something being done to him. Instead, he seemed to experience it as a request and responded with gratitude. When my young son would playfully put Rudy in a headlock, Rudy never appeared offended or threatened. He would relax into it as though my son was asking him for a stretch. When my son let go, Rudy seemed grateful that the request had been fulfilled and would often respond with a lick to the face. Rudy did not organize the world around self and other. He lived in [a] relationship."
____
An intriguing example, Scott, but you omitted a key ingredient, Love. In this and many other examples you might have given involving Rudy and others in your family (and perhaps those not in your immediate family), Rudy never doubted your and others' love for him. A revealing term when describing your son's playfully placing Rudy in a headlock, Rudy knew that Sam was merely playing with him.
In the real world, however, love is at a premium. Daily, we have too many examples of fear, anger, cruelty and hatred. I am guessing that Rudy, in his relatively short life span, was shielded from these emotions, along with the actions that often accompany them . And even, per chance, Rudy may have experienced one of the above because of a failure by one of your family to protect him. I would wager that would have been a rare moment in the life of this sweet animal -- rare enough to not have erased the love in which Rudy was constantly immersed.
Scott, what I have spoken of with regard to Rudy's loving environment could apply equally to a human reared in a similar environment. If all human offspring were reared with as much love, we would have an entirely different world today, one echoing the words of the prophet, Isaiah, "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." (Is. 2:4)
Scott, you made mention of another characteristic of Rudy's. Let me quote you once again: " "If I was unwell, Rudy seemed to feel it. If I was hurting, he hurt too. He experienced our joys, frustrations, and routines as something shared rather than individualized."
Your description reminded me of a movie I'd seen when I was a mere lad of 9 years old, entitled, "The Corsican Brothers." This was based upon the novella by the French author, Alexandre Dumas (the same author of "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Three Muscateers."). The twin brothers are born conjoined and surgically separated by a doctor's scalpel at birth. Even though they grow up miles apart—one living as a gentleman lawyer in Paris and the other as a bandit in the mountains of Corsica—they retain a supernatural link. They can feel each other's physical pain, distress, and emotions across the sea. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. played the dual role of both twin brothers.
So, Scott, if we draw an analogy between Rudy and either of the Corsican brothers, rather than "us" there is only "I." We often say, "I am that person." We've heard that recently when ICE killed another innocent victim. Feeling the pain of another—often termed empathy—is a profound emotional experience. Our brain's neurons actually light up when witnessing someone else's suffering. This profound connection is what drives us to step in and offer support or intervene even at the risk of our own safety. Sometimes it is an involuntary mirroring of another’s pain. When I, as a rabbi, have often sat at the deathbed of another, I try to let them know that they are not suffering alone. So to bring this back to Rudy, this sweet, loving animal evidenced true empathy, which might serve as an example for all of us. Amen
In many ways, it is a form of awareness that extends beyond self-love.
( I looked at a private
high school for my autistic son that requires the incoming freshman to get a puppy, and bring that dog with them everywhere so as help be that unconditional love and facilitator.)
It is one of the primary ways human beings learn to relate, empathize, and understand both the world around them and the world within them.
In modern thought, anthropomorphizing is often treated as something to be avoided—a tendency to project human qualities onto animals, objects, or nature.
Yet this overlooks the fact that anthropomorphizing is one of humanity’s oldest and most natural capacities.
Long before scientific theories of cognition, humans survived by interpreting the intentions and emotional states of others. The same neural machinery that helps us understand another person’s fear, affection, or aggression naturally extends to animals and, at times, to the wider environment.
Far from being a flaw, this capacity is one of the foundations of empathy.
The deeper value of anthropomorphizing emerges when we become conscious of it.
Rather than asking only,
“What is the animal feeling?” we begin asking,
“What in me is interpreting the animal this way?”
At that point, anthropomorphizing becomes self-inquiry, revealing hidden assumptions, fears, desires, and emotional habits.
It is often described as projection, but that description is incomplete.
Projection suggests that we are merely placing ourselves onto another being.
The experience is often closer to inclusion.
Us.
We expand our field of awareness to make room for the other. This does not guarantee accuracy, but it creates the possibility of empathy. We use ourselves as a bridge while remembering that the other is more than our interpretation.
By observing our interpretations,
we become aware of patterns operating beneath conscious awareness.
The goal is not to eliminate anthropomorphizing but to become more skillful with it.
In this way, it becomes a form of self-exploration, self-compassion, and relationship.
Anthropomorphizing is not merely self-love directed outward.
By extending empathy beyond ourselves, we discover parts of ourselves that would otherwise remain hidden.
What begins as an attempt to understand another can become a doorway to deeper self-knowledge.
The Ai Ki.
(AiKi-Do)
Ai is Love and lovers Join.
Ki is Vital Life Force Energy and it is something you Feeel.
ie
The Joining Feeling.
The mature form or consciousness form of anthropomorphizing is not, “Everything is like me.”
It is,
“I will use myself as a bridge while remaining open to what is beyond me.”
Rudy was an amazing being💛I love, and will cherish the picture of him walking-in, holding space at the front of the mat and joyfully bowing you all into the Aikido energy.
Thank you Chele, he definitely was a good boy
Scott, in the example you'd given regarding your dog, Rudy, who died three years ago, here's a part of your description; "If I was unwell, Rudy seemed to feel it. If I was hurting, he hurt too. He experienced our joys, frustrations, and routines as something shared rather than individualized.
What fascinated me most was how he interpreted the actions of others. If someone did something to Rudy, he rarely experienced it as something being done to him. Instead, he seemed to experience it as a request and responded with gratitude. When my young son would playfully put Rudy in a headlock, Rudy never appeared offended or threatened. He would relax into it as though my son was asking him for a stretch. When my son let go, Rudy seemed grateful that the request had been fulfilled and would often respond with a lick to the face. Rudy did not organize the world around self and other. He lived in [a] relationship."
____
An intriguing example, Scott, but you omitted a key ingredient, Love. In this and many other examples you might have given involving Rudy and others in your family (and perhaps those not in your immediate family), Rudy never doubted your and others' love for him. A revealing term when describing your son's playfully placing Rudy in a headlock, Rudy knew that Sam was merely playing with him.
In the real world, however, love is at a premium. Daily, we have too many examples of fear, anger, cruelty and hatred. I am guessing that Rudy, in his relatively short life span, was shielded from these emotions, along with the actions that often accompany them . And even, per chance, Rudy may have experienced one of the above because of a failure by one of your family to protect him. I would wager that would have been a rare moment in the life of this sweet animal -- rare enough to not have erased the love in which Rudy was constantly immersed.
Scott, what I have spoken of with regard to Rudy's loving environment could apply equally to a human reared in a similar environment. If all human offspring were reared with as much love, we would have an entirely different world today, one echoing the words of the prophet, Isaiah, "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." (Is. 2:4)
Scott, you made mention of another characteristic of Rudy's. Let me quote you once again: " "If I was unwell, Rudy seemed to feel it. If I was hurting, he hurt too. He experienced our joys, frustrations, and routines as something shared rather than individualized."
Your description reminded me of a movie I'd seen when I was a mere lad of 9 years old, entitled, "The Corsican Brothers." This was based upon the novella by the French author, Alexandre Dumas (the same author of "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Three Muscateers."). The twin brothers are born conjoined and surgically separated by a doctor's scalpel at birth. Even though they grow up miles apart—one living as a gentleman lawyer in Paris and the other as a bandit in the mountains of Corsica—they retain a supernatural link. They can feel each other's physical pain, distress, and emotions across the sea. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. played the dual role of both twin brothers.
So, Scott, if we draw an analogy between Rudy and either of the Corsican brothers, rather than "us" there is only "I." We often say, "I am that person." We've heard that recently when ICE killed another innocent victim. Feeling the pain of another—often termed empathy—is a profound emotional experience. Our brain's neurons actually light up when witnessing someone else's suffering. This profound connection is what drives us to step in and offer support or intervene even at the risk of our own safety. Sometimes it is an involuntary mirroring of another’s pain. When I, as a rabbi, have often sat at the deathbed of another, I try to let them know that they are not suffering alone. So to bring this back to Rudy, this sweet, loving animal evidenced true empathy, which might serve as an example for all of us. Amen
Thank you never thought of it that way.
Very Nice Scott!
I never met Rudy but
I appreciate your memories of him.
Makes me consider
Anthropomorphizing as
Something Beyond Self-Love,
Anthropomorphizing is
NOT a dirty word.
In many ways, it is a form of awareness that extends beyond self-love.
( I looked at a private
high school for my autistic son that requires the incoming freshman to get a puppy, and bring that dog with them everywhere so as help be that unconditional love and facilitator.)
It is one of the primary ways human beings learn to relate, empathize, and understand both the world around them and the world within them.
In modern thought, anthropomorphizing is often treated as something to be avoided—a tendency to project human qualities onto animals, objects, or nature.
Yet this overlooks the fact that anthropomorphizing is one of humanity’s oldest and most natural capacities.
Long before scientific theories of cognition, humans survived by interpreting the intentions and emotional states of others. The same neural machinery that helps us understand another person’s fear, affection, or aggression naturally extends to animals and, at times, to the wider environment.
Far from being a flaw, this capacity is one of the foundations of empathy.
The deeper value of anthropomorphizing emerges when we become conscious of it.
Rather than asking only,
“What is the animal feeling?” we begin asking,
“What in me is interpreting the animal this way?”
At that point, anthropomorphizing becomes self-inquiry, revealing hidden assumptions, fears, desires, and emotional habits.
It is often described as projection, but that description is incomplete.
Projection suggests that we are merely placing ourselves onto another being.
The experience is often closer to inclusion.
Us.
We expand our field of awareness to make room for the other. This does not guarantee accuracy, but it creates the possibility of empathy. We use ourselves as a bridge while remembering that the other is more than our interpretation.
By observing our interpretations,
we become aware of patterns operating beneath conscious awareness.
The goal is not to eliminate anthropomorphizing but to become more skillful with it.
In this way, it becomes a form of self-exploration, self-compassion, and relationship.
Anthropomorphizing is not merely self-love directed outward.
By extending empathy beyond ourselves, we discover parts of ourselves that would otherwise remain hidden.
What begins as an attempt to understand another can become a doorway to deeper self-knowledge.
The Ai Ki.
(AiKi-Do)
Ai is Love and lovers Join.
Ki is Vital Life Force Energy and it is something you Feeel.
ie
The Joining Feeling.
The mature form or consciousness form of anthropomorphizing is not, “Everything is like me.”
It is,
“I will use myself as a bridge while remaining open to what is beyond me.”