Stop and smell the poop

You thought I was going to say "stop and smell the roses", didn't you?

Poop's funnier.

It's funny how foie gras, fatty tuna sushi, or a Taco Bell Cheesy Gordita Crunch goes down through our food tubes. And they all get squeezed out the other end as smelly poop.

We think poop smells bad. We feel repulsed at the odor and even the sight of it. But dogs seem to love smelling other dogs' poop. They even smell each others' butts. Why?

Poop and other smelly things give dogs information. It's how they perceive the world. Just like how we perceive much of the world with sight.

But our minds are special. We have a part of our brains that likes to judge. Good or bad. Like or dislike. And our brain likes to add a layer of these judgmental thoughts on top of what we perceive with our senses. It's ever so subtle. You'll probably miss this subterfuge, if you don't pay attention.

Something smells like poop? Brain: "Bleh, stay away. You might ingest some and get sick."

Someone looks different from you? Or has different beliefs than you do? Brain: "Given the stereotypes X, Y, and Z that you have about someone like that, you should probably treat them with less kindness and compassion than you'd treat someone similar to you."

Can you smell the poop without judging it?