As far as I know, Max has had only two hot takes his entire life.
First: Where in the world are these little humans coming from?
Second: Time is an artificial human construction. Are you really going to make me wait until 4:00 to eat? You know there’s not really any such thing as 4:00. Just help us all out here and dish out the food.
Max does not have many scorching, shallow responses to the current issues of our world, because, well, he is a dog. Being a dog means he is not on Facebook or X/Twitter, the hotbeds of hot takes, and he doesn’t even know what is going on in the world. Max doesn’t get caught up in misogynistic complaints about the Barbie movie (though I have no doubt he absolutely supports the movie), he doesn’t feel the need to spew his half-informed ideas about politics, and he doesn’t care at all about reality TV.
But most importantly, Max does not have hot takes because his entire life has a different centering point than most the rest of us.
Max doesn’t feel a need to prove himself or force his opinions on other people. He knows his intrinsic value and respects that every other being around him has intrinsic value, except squirrels. They are a plague upon his perfectly maintained backyard kingdom.
Ok, maybe I’m reading into Max’s persona some, but I am confident of one reason he offers a chill response to a reactionary culture – Max lives in the moment. He is present and open and eager to know the people who come in and out of his life. Such presence of mind, body, and soul keeps him grounded.
He may force his fuzzy head into your lap, but he won’t force any unsolicited opinions onto anyone, because the attention Max desires is not a flash/bang kind of attention. He cares far more about a real connection and a head rub that will last until your fingers cramp.
I don’t mean to glorify Max’s naivete. Retreating from the world can be as problematic as trying to force it to bend to one’s simplistic views. I want and need Max to have a quick, insightful response to a kid crying or another creature in need or a pest which needs to be taken care of. I don’t want Max or anyone else to shy away from calling out societal ills, especially in witty, punchy ways.
I simply want to learn what I think Max is trying to teach me. I can cultivate a mindset grounded in the art of being present and peaceful. Max is teaching me that I don’t have to react to everything I notice, though I should deeply consider it. He is teaching me that perhaps I can enjoy and value myself and others more fully when I ignore the hot takes and open myself to the people and things that actually matter around me.
So thank you Max for showing whatever restraint you muster in keeping all your hot takes to yourself. Thank you for teaching me the value of being grounded in the moment and not trying to force any half-baked thoughts onto others.
Lessons From Max 