Days are numbered for the deer at Shawnee Mission Park

 

The friends of the deer are back.

Some of you may remember July’s story of the city’s initial plans to cull the deer herd in Shawnee Mission Park. The size of the herd had grown unmanageable, threatening both other wildlife and human safety, and so it was decided that this fall they would bring in sharpshooters to drastically reduce the number of deer.

The end draws near, and so protestors are making one final stand to protect the deer. Several blocked the main entrance to the park today, holding a large banner and shouting their message through a megaphone. They actually managed to delay traffic for a few minutes, but no arrests were made.

I at least have to admire their passion and tenacity. Many of us tend to merely survive life, waking up each morning and repeating the routines of the day before without much thought, drive, excitement, or change. This small band of people, though, found something they cared about enough to break up the normal rut of life. I can imagine their energy as they coordinated their plan, gathered at the leader’s house, painted the banner, and then finally lifted their voices as one. They even drew the local news.

Is passion and tenacity enough, though? Some with these qualities have produced more ill than good. Others have invested their whole lives in a losing cause, or only succeeded in perpetuating battles with those with matching passion and tenacity on the other side. What is worthwhile, though, is not always black and white, and outcomes that some would deem good and progressive others lament.

But at the end of the day, would you rather say, “at least I gave it my all, at least my heart was alive,” or “at least I was fairly comfortable during my life.”