If Dogs Run Free, Then Why Not We?

It’s got dogs. It’s about freedom. It’s a song by Bob Dylan.
I was sold at dogs, honestly.

If Dogs Run Free by Scott Campbell is a picture book overflowing with cheer, hope, and all kinds of dogs. What a treat.

This water-colour style children’s picture book is a fun pick-me-up to look at, even for those who haven’t begun reading. The song itself was a brilliant choice to use,
to introduce kids to self-expression, and the artist who advocated it so often.

Feast your eyes on dogs from the moment you open this book.

The dogs are not alone. They are accompanied with equally fun and adorable kids, playing to their heart’s content. Nothing to worry, no thought other than that of play.

Doing exactly what they’re thinking of doing.

Can we even remember the last thing we did just because we felt like it?

Without planning, organising, or contemplating it for so long that we’re out of time.

While we’re at this book, let’s also treat ourselves to the 1970’s song that forms the words of this book. It’s been playing on loop as this post was being written.

“If dogs run free, then what must be
Must be, and that is all.”

Yes, that is all, most of the times. Do we ever feel we overthink meanings, signs, possibilities, people, or the future?

We should learn the art to just chill like dogs and kids, and live in whatever is right now.

(Right now, I’m sitting, feet resting on another chair, toes getting a breeze from the window. There’s a crow watching me warily, in hope of bread.)

To each his own, it’s all unknown. It’s a nice way to explain tolerance for beliefs that are different from our own. We resonate with different callings — be it people, places, careers, food, or music. But when we start taking our choices as the only choice that is of merit, we rob the world of diversity. Of respecting co-existence and the freedom of choice.

Dogs. They are so attractive and adorable. A lot of that is because they are unassumingly friendly. They’re immensely accepting without conditions, highly expressive, adoring, loving, loyal and easily happy or excited. They’re a morale boost, honestly. Something we never think of being for ourselves, but look to be provided with by others.

Kids are also the same. Until they understand our human ways and definitions, for compartmentalising basis gender, acceptance-rejection, humour-sadness, success-failures, and many other should-be v/s shouldn’t-be. Truth be told, we don’t always do a fantastic job at prioritising what a kid must learn. But that’s also the beauty of humans as sentient beings. We find our way eventually.

It would be a treat if we were sentient among our own species, and also with other species. By learning tolerance. Knowing that everything is finally unknown, so to each their own.

And to run free right this minute, instead of writing it on a to-do list.

“Happiness is a warm puppy.”
– Charles Schulz