Marking your Territory

I had a GSD called Mable that I loved for over 12 years. Walking a dog is all about waiting for them to sniff everything & then pee on top of another animals scent marker. Animals are territorial, as are human animals.

We regard our homes, our village, town or city & our country as our territory. We mark our territory by borders, actual or unseen. There is an area around our body which is inviolate & we don't like other people "invading our space" by getting too close for comfort.

I get that. It's psychologically inherent.

It's also all in our minds. We don't actually own the land, we are custodians of it. We take nothing with us when we die. Our country is an accident of birth, some are lucky, some are not.

We create mini fortresses with hedges, fences, railings & walls marking our territory. It's defensive, protecting your property & space. Castles are a prime example. But there was a point when they were built, battles were being fought on a regular basis.

People belong to groups, to tribes. You can recognise members of your tribe by what they wear, by their speech, by their interests, their education, their religion, where they come from...innumerable clues. We feel comfortable with people who are like us & often uncomfortable with people who are different. 

Arguments arise over difference. People dislike & hate eachother, it is learned behaviour. Tribes fight eachother over territory & influence in a power struggle. Russia wants to dominate Ukraine. People are maimed & die. The pattern is age old & repeating. We do not learn the lessons of tolerance, justice & equality. We are not kind to other human beings. We discriminate against whole groups.

There is a worldwide problem because of displacement of people due to war, famine, discrimination, climate events & economic adversity. What do the tribes who are fortunate do? Do they welcome & give aid to the people who have so much adversity to deal with. Yes, many do thank goodness. But so many don't. Whole countries will not allow refugees in, mostly in Eastern Europe. Some countries take far more than their fair share. The Uk doesn't even feature on that list.

https://www.nrc.no/shorthand/fr/a-few-countries-take-responsibility-for-most-of-the-worlds-refugees/index.html

The statistics are appalling. Why aren't we generous & kind to fellow human beings? Where is our humanity? Where has our moral compass gone?