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Want a Full Life? Prepare for Pain.

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Upon the passing of his beloved bulldog Otto, Dennis Prager reflects on the special bond between people and their dogs. What role should dogs play in our lives? And more importantly, what can we learn from this relationship?

Script:

Otto, my beloved English bulldog, died just before I made this video. His presence in my and my wife’s life for twelve years was an unmitigated joy. He also, amazingly, became the best-known dog in America; he was on camera for virtually every one of my PragerU Fireside Chats and became the hero of a series of PragerU books for children.

And, as I have often noted, none of this fame went to his head.

The sadness we feel at Otto’s death and the outpouring of condolence messages have caused me to reflect on three long-held concerns about pets.

Concern No. 1: I have long feared that many people are replacing love of humans with love of animals. For decades, I have asked high school students, “If your dog and a stranger were both drowning, which would you try to save first?”

In nearly every instance, one-third of the students voted to save the stranger, one-third their dog, and one-third declined to vote. In other words, for more than 40 years, two-thirds of high school students have not voted to save a human being they didn’t know before their dog.

The primary reason they have given is that they love their dog, not the stranger.

I realized two things as a result of this answer. One was that we are living in an Age of Feelings. Feelings have replaced values as the guide to people’s behavior. The other realization was that, as a result of society increasingly abandoning Judeo-Christian—that is, Bible-based—values, the belief that humans are special because only they are created “in the image of God” has all but disappeared. Secular society has no basis on which to declare humans inherently more valuable than animals—especially an animal one loves.

Concern No. 2: Many people who announce that they do not want children—then refer to their dogs or cats as their children. But they are not children.

For the full script, visit: https://l.prageru.com/45aft5Z

#lifelessons #pain #pets

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Tags 5 minute videoadviceAnimalsDeathDennis PragerUdepressionDogseducationalfamilygetting a doggood advicegood life adviceGrievegrievinghow to life a full lifeLessonsLifelife advicelife of joyloved onespragerusadwatch worthyWise manwise words
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41 Comments

  11. If my dog was in trouble and some random human was in trouble I would save my dog 100% of the time. If my dog was in trouble and my child was in trouble and I could only save one I would save them both because I am an American and that is what we do.

  20. sorry to hear your dog died dennis.

    as for your question for students the right answer is save neither — in most cases for people and animals that are drowning there is a high chance they will drowned you as well if you try to save them should only attempt it if the likelihood of your drowning is low (aka youre in a boat or trained to save people drowning).

    nothing against wanting to save an animal or a human in need, however, as courageous and brave as it may be to save someone/something from drowning the act defeats the purpose if you are likely to die in the attempt and Id argue its close to considering calculated suicide which while I don't hold my self to any religious path (though my ethics and moral standards typically are entrenched in some way with both) I believe both the Jewish faith and Christianity have some issues with suicide as an option of death.

    it would probably serve better to use a family member/friend as the drowning person as it increases the likelihood they would attempt it out of familiarity as it does with the dog I think most people would more likely (unless they hated said family member/friend) would go for the human as the life of a human is typically considered more valued then that of an animal.

  21. One week ago (08/11/2023 @ 5pm) our beloved dog transitioned over Rainbow Bridge into Heaven. He had fought over a year with thyroid cancer and was more than a family pet. He was my therapy dog who assisted me getting through three battles of cancer and other battles with health. We adopted him almost 9 years ago from a rescue, but unsure who actually rescued who. Not sure if I will ever be able to get another dog. I am more afraid now of leaving him/her behind if something happens to me, than him/her leaving me. Dennis! Thank you for this. It was very touching and soooo needed. I am having such a difficult time losing our beloved boy.

  22. Mr. Prager please answer yhis question I'm trying to et an answer to. A response. There is a war getting started right. On TV it seems do much about North Korea or Russia or something like that. Then it's about the spiritual warfare.
    Like Christians plannning the return of Jesus and his fight against this Anti-Christ person.
    I want to know about the other subject that's is being shown, Realistically is about to happen snd Spiritually about to happpen. Soneone replied to me today that its a war on sex. What? I was like what? What do you mean? I didn't hear about that. I didn't see that coming. Definitely not about a war on that personal subject. That's what he said. Why in the world was that a response? I did ask. Also, Mr. Prager I do live alone. Who was that? What in the heck does he mean? Please if you could help shine some light on this I would gladly appreciate it.❤

  24. The thing with the stranger and the dog is that the question specifically asks about the student's dog. Something the student would have an emotional investment in already, as opposed to a literal stranger. It might be better to do a more balanced question, like a random dog and a random person. Suffering and pain are inevitable in life, but that does not justify dismissing someone's pain or inflicting pain on someone else.
    A lot of the reason people don't have kids nowadays tends to do with how expensive they are to raise moreso than being scared of potential outcomes. And not everyone finds fulfillment in romantic relationships or raising kids. There are many fulfilling things to do in life 😀
    If you think having kids and getting married is fulfilling, you can say that, obviously. But it's a bit strange in my opinion to say that it is the most fullfiling like it's a fact, when it's actually just an opinion…..

  28. Kids are not the best choice makers, so don't judge who an adult would save based on what kids say, but I do understand the sentiment. RIP Otto and sorry for your loss Mr.Prager and your family are in my prayers!!

  34. Those who chose to save dog over a stranger are typical edgy fatherless teens/childults who believe that life is shit, everyone is evil and there's no hope in humanity, and obviously that humans are evolutions' mistake or some bs like that. I don't feel pity for them becauses they made this decision by choice.

  35. I don't know…believing in an imaginary being without evidence seems as much a feeling as loving an animal. But at least animals are real. Also, since when is love not a value?

  37. My most sincere condolences to you and your wife on the passing of Otto…he was my happy opening moment on your fireside chats 🐶😢 i will miss him always
    Otto will be waiting for both of you on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge
    Rest In Peace Otto 😢🐶💞💯❤️🤍💙🇺🇸🦅