There was a welcome break in the weather today. A high of 65 was predicted for the day so I grabbed my Nikon and headed for the zoo this morning. I always have mixed emotions when I go to the zoo.
The animals are well-taken care of and they are safe but I feel sorry for them that they are captive, living their lives behind walls and fences and not free to roam and enjoy life in their natural habitat. They've traded safety for security. Well, not really because they had no choice in the matter. They were either captured or born into captivity.
There are people who choose captivity over freedom in marriages and relationships that trap them just as effectively as the animal's cages and walls. Oftentimes when I drive through neighborhoods with expensive homes, I wonder how many of the people living in those places are happy and how many of them are miserable but have chosen the trappings of wealth and material security over freedom and happiness.
The zoo animals have no choice. They live out their lives in boredom; one day following the other in endless succession until they die. It's very sad.
People who choose to trade their freedom for wealth and security do have a choice and maybe they are to be pitied most of all.