I work in a public place... its the kind of place in which one might find nearly anyone at any moment. Compared to a great number of other public places there are very few social or economic barriers that would preclude any particular group of people from being there. All of this leads up to the idea that I have the great opportunity to hear from a lot of perspectives on a lot of topics on a daily basis.
Recently, I overheard a conversation that stuck with me. This individual was remarking on the cultural change he perceives in how people treat their pets, particularly dogs, in 2018, vs how people treated the same 30 years ago. Essentially, his point was that 30 years ago, if you had a dog, you had a dog. The dog did dog things and stayed in dog places. The dog played in dog ways and ate dog food. In more current times, people seem, he said, to have blurred the line between pets and people.
The industry tells us this man is right. A 2015 story from NBC states “The American Pet Products Association estimates $60.59 billion will be spent on pets in 2015, up about 25 percent from five years ago.“
Wow.
As my brain traveled down this particular rabbit hole, I must admit that I felt a little uncomfortable with some of the things I realized. Much of that distress came as a result of traveling to other countries over the years and seeing how things are done there, not with regard to pets, but with people.
I thought about all those things that American culture has introduced and almost normalized about how to care for a dog... the doggie day-care spots, dog spas, wearable technology for our dogs, connected cameras that allow us to see and actually “talk” to our canine friends from anywhere in the world...maybe Kenya, for example.
Ive been to Kenya twice within the last 12 months. It’s a beautiful place with a fantastic culture. The wildlife is incredible. The people are incredibly gracious and friendly. Their resourcefulness and propensity for industry are top notch. With all that said, many young adults with formal educations enter the work force in Kenya making the equivalent of about $3.50 US. If they find a really good job that number can be around $5 US. Oh, and that’s not per hour...it’s per day.
By the time i considered the things I’ve seen in Kenya, as well as a number of other countries to which i have traveled, I came to the point of wondering, how many of us have dogs we pamper to such an extent that our four-legged furry friends are living more comfortably than a great number of children on earth?
At this point in my life, I spend less time than I think I ever have telling other people what they should or shouldn’t do. I’m not in the business of assuming I know what another person’s situation is all about, but I always encourage people to be constantly evaluating themselves and their own decisions in order to ensure that they are doing what they really think is best.
I’m happy to say that I’ve traveled and seen enough, and I have enough friends in other parts of the world to know that our American idea of what it takes to be happy is really, really screwed up. There are people living in shacks in the mountains of Nicaragua who are, at this very moment, far more happy and content with their lives than I can even comprehend. Possessions and money do not have any linear relationship with one’s joy and quality of life. At the same time, I can’t escape asking whether there are dogs in my neighborhood who are doted on to such an extent that an average kid in a third-world country would gladly trade places with one of those dogs.
I know. I know. That kinda stings. It feels wrong to even be asking that kind of question... yet, I gotta tell ya it might get worse. If you wanna take the red pill, go ahead and google “poverty in Appalachia.” Take one hour of your time and learn whatever you can find on the subject. It’s staggering.
As I mentioned, I’m not into putting my convictions onto other people, but I’ll share with you a tool that I use to help guide whether something I’m considering doing is responsible and reasonable when it comes to spending my resources (things other than money included).
I imagine being with one of my friends in one of those countries I have visited. Maybe we are drinking coffee together and talking about things going on in our lives... and I consider what it would be like to explain spending my money, time, etc on that thing, whatever it may be... would that conversation make me uncomfortable? Some things would be difficult to explain because the relatability of the idea may be tough to communicate (like the time I referenced a hamster wheel when talking to some friends in Ghana), but would it be morally troubling to explain how I’m using my resources?
It may be that only one or two other people ever benefit from perusing these ideas, but I hope you are one of them.
