Life

I received an e-mail today asking for donations to the Atlanta Humane Society. The story, found here, is about a dog that someone set on fire and the Atlanta Human Society has helped to rescue it. They are asking for donations to help cover the more than $6,500 in expenses to save this dog.

I am torn by this request. No doubt, we have a responsibility to protect and nurture all life - no matter the species, ethnicity or the stage. But it is extremely sad to me that people will donate $6,500 to help a dog and not donate that same money to help one another. At what point did we start cherishing a dog's life more than our own?

Maybe we've become callous. After all, there are many human rights atrocities happening around the world, from Darfur to China to the homeless on our own neighborhood streets. We see it all the time and have become desensitized...but we are still compassionate people and so our hearts - and wallets - turn to animals who are abused and neglected.

Or maybe we don't see humans as "innocent" and feel that the less fortunate may have caused their situations through their own actions. Or that they will use our money for something other than good. Or that they are just not good people.

Or maybe it's too uncomfortable to help those who are less fortunate. We feel somewhat ashamed of our own fortune and lifestyle and can't quite look those others in the eye. It's easier to help someone who won't judge us or cause us to feel guilty of our lifestyle.

But regardless of what we feel or what we think, we need to care as a society. We hve a responsibility to protect all life, yes. But that does not mean we get to choose which kind of life we protect. Perhaps if we had a respect for human life, that would trickle down to having a respect for animals and for the earth. We are all interconnected and so if we are going to give money to save a dog, then we should also do what we can to save a human, to save a tree.

Spending $6,500 on a dog is a sin when there is someone in our own community who could use that money to feed their family, pay their heating bills, to get back on their feet.