A quick check of Amazon reveals a lot of books about the wisdom of our animal friends (Everything I Need to Know I Learned from my Cat, Dog, Bird…..etc.). It’s true that we can learn much from observing our fellow sentient beings, although it may be difficult to know exactly what an animal is feeling. But one important insight I believe we can take away is that our fellow beings exist just as they are. That is, a cat doesn’t worry about what it means to be a cat, whether he is a good cat, could he be a better cat. Cat is cat; that is all.

Unlike humans, animals don’t react to themselves with aversion. They do not make New Year’s resolutions….