Today, we celebrate Elon Musk’s recent announcement of a generous 20-million-dollar donation to build a “paradise” of love for abandoned dogs.
Raysa White
From the depths of my heart, I celebrated it—because animals who have no home, no voice, not even a rag to cover them, deserve shelter. And because I truly believe that any act of love toward a being who is our friend, who suffers and rejoices with us, is more than justified.
However, someone pointed out that Musk had taken that money from humanitarian initiatives he himself had once supported to save human lives in the Third World. And all evidence suggests… this is not the case.
What has happened is that Elon Musk has promoted budget cuts to humanitarian programs aimed at saving lives in the Global South—such as the support funds from USAID. Within those funds, there have indeed been misuses. But there have also been fully justified uses. This duality has generated hostility toward Musk. And the truth is… it’s a contradiction. One that hurts.
It hurts, too, because it reveals a moral calamity that plagues our times: the passion for one cause while neglecting others just as urgent—as if compassion couldn’t be whole. As if caring for dogs meant forgetting about orphaned children, women giving birth without medical assistance, or entire communities surviving under extreme scarcity.
Still, I refuse to think in black and white. Because caring for some does not mean neglecting others. We must not fall into the absurd logic of turning causes into a competition.
I’m not sure if Musk acts from sincere conviction, or to win favor, or from personal vanity. But something tells me that 20 million dollars for Elon Musk is like breakfast money for the rest of us. He has no need to shift funds from one cause to another. What I do believe is that compassion, instead of being measured or divided, should be multiplied.
And though the powers of the world often err in their imbalance—and thus sow suspicion—you and I can still raise our voices, awaken consciences, and make the essential clear: That every life matters. That every abandonment is a wound.
And that every act of help, when it is genuine, must be received with gratitude.
Akerunoticias 