In the wake of the recent lion slaying in Africa, it has come to my attention that it takes a certain something to get our attention to where it needs to be.

Yes, a protected lion was killed. Yes, he was baited. Yes, he was loved and, yes, we should be outraged, but did we forget to realize that that one lion is in a nation where millions are starving every day, where millions are being slaughtered by their own government every day and where millions are dying from diseases every single day?

Social media has become outraged and is calling for the head of the dentist who did this. But the same people who are completely irate about this situation are the same people who are saying, “How dare you send money to help those people when there are people starving here?”

I’m not sure why we care only about the lion and not the people that surround it. Are we that desensitized to the situation, or is it easier to pretend we care about one thing and turn our tunnel vision away from the whole picture?

Eric Pokrovsky


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