Are You Smarter Than Your Dog?

As we all excitedly await the total solar eclipse today, I’m wondering how mankind ever made it to the top of the food chain? Constant reminder after reminder not to stare directly at the sun, or it could permanently damage your eyes is blasting the radio, television, newspapers, even social media. Is this really necessary? I understand it’s important to instruct children not to look at the sun. Probably more important to drive it home with teenagers who think they are invincible, but the rest of us? We should already have this filed in the brain somewhere as something we should not be doing, having learned it long ago.  Perhaps the desire to look bare-eyed at an eclipse is just too powerful to overcome, and we lose all control over reason and sanity.

I saw on the news and read on social media that you should bring your pets inside to keep them from looking at the sun during the eclipse. Now why would they do that? Does your dog lay out in the yard and gaze at the sun on any given day? I’d venture a guess that as the sky darkens your pet could care less about why, but if you want to make sure, by all means, bring them inside. Heaven help you if your pet is a horse! I have never heard about any animal going blind because they looked at the sun during an eclipse. You don’t even have to tell them not to do it. They seem to be smart enough to figure that out on their own. They are not on the top of the food chain. We are, but we have to be told, and repeatedly reminded not to do it. Better yet, we should just stay inside lest we forget.

Many schools across the nation are canceling outside recess and lunch during the eclipse, as well as the educational opportunity to view something that hasn’t traversed our entire country in 99 years! What a shame! School authorities say they are choosing safety over science, but what they are really choosing is to avoid litigation should some child decide that the laws of physics don’t apply to them. So, don’t bother teaching them not to look at the sun. Just keep them inside so they don’t. How do we manage to let them play outside any day? The sun is always with us.

It is good to protect, especially the children, but a better way to protect is to teach, not to deny. If a dog is smart enough not to look at the sun, I dare say mankind is smart enough to learn not to as well. And if not….well then we haven’t earned our place at the top of the food chain.