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People too often trip over the tragedies in their own neighborhood while rushing to throw money (and emotional energy) at some distant problem. We were picking at that phenomena.
Decided that the crisis close to us is frightening because 'there but for the grace of pasta or god, go I'. People do not want to look closely at the crisis next door because it makes them realize how vulnerable they are too. Yet, the emotion is there, simmering in us all; fear, rage at the injustice, sorrow that chokes us. When some BIG crisis hits a ways away it is safe to deal with THAT, safe to vent the debris of our fears and sorrows. I really believe that is why people over-react to celebrity deaths - they need a safe outlet for the pain and sorrow they cannot look at in their own lives. It's safe to go a bit over the top about someone who you did not know, who had no daily impact on your life. To give in to local grief might just be more than a person can feel comfortable with. It probably makes us detached from our genuine feelings, which is unhealthy. But then, we have a pretty unhealthy culture at present.
So, yeah, we tend to not react to the crisis at hand. And that is sad. Oh, we will help a neighbor whose house is on fire, but there is self interest in things like that, we don't want the crisis to spread. But the crisis of being out of work, seriously ill, and very much in need.... most look away. It's like the homeless guy in the ally; people don't want to look because to look is to face one's own vulnerability in the face. It is fearful.
That said, there is also the problem of too many con-men (and women) out there and people don't want to get taken.
We SHOULD pay more attention to the needy in our spheres. We might just build some bridges between us and people who would be damned good to know.
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