Indoor Dog Park vs Other Needs

I saw a human interest story on the “news” about a week or so ago.  It was touting the future building of an indoor dog park.  A timely story with the approach of winter and severe cold temperatures about a month away. Then I thought about the many empty buildings all around this geographic area.  Then I thought about the numerous homeless people, some not wanting to be homeless, and how they would love to have an indoor homeless shelter in the cold of winter in any of the empty buildings that exist.

But, the indoor dog park will be in a neighborhood where incomes are above the norm.  In that neighborhood the priority is for an indoor dog park, not a homeless shelter for people. The need for a shelter for homeless people is not a concern of those who live in affluent neighborhoods.  Instead a support building for their pets is the immediate concern. 

That’s the nature of our human existence.  We are not our brother’s keeper.  We focus in general on ourselves first and what makes us comfortable and our lives easier.  That is our culture and how we generally have been taught on how we should be.  It’s understandable.  If we don’t take care of ourselves who will take care of us?  It’s like the choice of building an indoor dog park versus a homeless shelter to shield the homeless from the cold of the winter.  Depending on where you live, some would vote for the indoor dog park.  Others the homeless shelter.  It’s all from the perspective you are coming from.

I’m not going to rail against the decision to build the indoor dog park.  It’s what the people in that area want, because that is what they feel they need to support.  It fits their lifestyle.  Sometimes we need to sacrifice our desires and replace them with doing what is needed to help other people.