Goal update #2

I keep thinking my goal update is supposed to be the last Saturday of the month. I would be wrong though. Well, nothing to update with yet. I'm two months into this again and the same thing that kept me back last time wants to hold me back again. Namely, I want to start this as a charity to help Moscow shelters, but good god, the news makes me feel bad about the decision.
Why do I want to do it? I don't trust the government to deal with international relations. Not the government really, I just don't trust small groups of people making decisions for large groups of people. It seems like people will gravitate towards others with their same quirks and biases. I want to do something that finds common ground with a group of people that others see as enemies, and help build an international community. That's a huge, lofty, long term dream instead of a goal. So, I see a chance to learn more about a culture that was always called "the enemy". I like dogs and animals, and I see a chance to do something about it. Maybe I should start with someplace less controversial, like China, or Europe.
The news. Goddamn, the news. None of it seems to be 'the whole truth' to me. Everybody is putting their own spin on events, and it seems to be that the only way to figure out what's going on is to read and listen to everyone's opinions. When I start to do that, then I start to see people who really know what they're talking about. They understand what is happening historically, politically, and can make analytical connections between these events. And then there are others who seem to just trust their instinct, even though they have no knowledge of what's going on. It's nice when it's obvious, but most of the time the people who know nothing actually know how to make themselves seem really knowledgeable. You know what, though? If other people want to judge me for wanting to support animals in Russia, then fuck 'em. I just need to use all my skills and knowledge to convince myself I'm right, and work hard for years. I need to work not only to meet my goal, but improve my skills as well. Eye of the tiger.
What are the advantages to this? Personally, I build experience by learning how to advertise myself, manage money, and it builds my interest in international politics. The news about what is going on the world isn't just stuff happening to other people, it's stuff affecting my hopes, dreams, and goals. It goes beyond making me a better person by showing that I'm 'caring' and 'deep' and 'ethical'. It actually makes me a well rounded person. And my failures that are affected by things outside my control, I can see those things. I can't stop a war. I can't change how an entire culture feels about anything. I can see myself as small speck in the grand scheme of things, and in turn I can focus on the small things that I can control. I can recognize what mistakes I make and what successes I have and I can focus on improving them. But enough about me, how does this help the things I want to help?
Why should animals be the victims of the affairs of men? They cannot influence our decision making, they cannot participate in our government. They can just live, and rely on the kindness of strangers. A nice thought, perhaps. In order for them to get the medical care they need, it depends on us. They can't go out and get medicine and blankets. The same argument can be made about children and special needs people. And that's a tough question. Why focus on animals, and not on my own kind? Aye, there's the rub. Animals are innocents? Strays are a problem we created, breeding animals to be dependent on us, throwing animals away when they're no longer cute and allowing them to go out destroy ecosystems and other animals. Again, it's something I can work on. Why not focus on animals in my own country, or county? Because this is the international work I want to start. I want to buy things from local shops and support friends I have by buying their stuff, and I want to help animals over the world. The way to do that may be to volunteer time with an animal shelter, then I can meet real people in the real world who want to help, when I bring the stray cat in for shots, I'll ask. I volunteer my time to much already though, I need to find something I can help with that also gives me money.
Goals for the next month, keep convincing myself this is a good idea, try to figure out how to advertise this. That's the trouble. If you've made it this far, then you can follow me on twitter (@aristotlemstk), or circle me google+, or I'm on VK. I'm on facebook, but that's for people I know. I need to start a facebook page for this group. There's stuff I need to do and need to work on. Don't worry guys, I got this, but I can use all the help I can get.