Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami's

i think the huge problem is

a car crash in a small town in Texas wont make natural news you have no way of hearing about it

thats why most people don't seem to care

but trust me
you know those yahoo news feeds about the death of this person or that person?

there are people who cry

there are people who don't give a care

neither is right neither is wrong



those who cry are over sensitives (if you feel bad for every one who dies thats one heck of a depression) I'm not sure any human could take it




for one humans are animals (an animal is a living thing)
death is natural and should not always be sad


if someone dies form a cause of nature then
its normal its not unexpected like this, we are prepared for it we exspect it (as in we all know we are going to die, but to die by a plane atacking a country that has not had invasions in many many many years) that catches our emotions off guard


is that a sad thing?
maybe depends on what you believe


but if its the way of things, we cant change it

and there is no human way to stop it

how ever we can stop things like 9\11
and even this (we cant stop nature form doing it but we can stop needless people dying)


so death you have to live with it (wow)
and most humans cant live with feeling sorry for every one who has ever died
so is that inhuman? no its very human


humans are flawed

we are down right evil

we feel more emotion as more people die

 

Your anger comes through very stongly.

So what you are saying is that it's easy for people to clothe themselves in the veneer of caring while still indulging in the excesses of the west. What you want is for the world to stop pretending and get of its backside and do something more meaningful and long lasting?

I'm with you there - but I'll confess that although I do what I think I can, I know it's not enough, because I'm human and prone to enjoy those excesses. Every now and then, there's the guilt and that's highlighted by the plight of those involved in tragedies, such as the Japanese earthquake.

So you have a point. We allow ourselves to feel for those lost, to fear for those still hanging on, and we assuage our guilt by caring, for an admittedly short time.

I think you are too aggressive in your writing - my opinion - but I understand a lot of what you're saying. And it's true that this, grief, caring, concern - call it what you like, is a transient feeling. We will still be sitting in our comfortable lives after the tv. crews have all come home.

But it's real at the time. And, like the tsunami that hit Sri Lanka, tragedy appears to bring out the best in people.
It may not be enough - it rarely is - but there is only so much we can, or are willing to do. Don't knock it. Many of us know it can never be enough, but it's better than thinking 'whatever I do won't help, so I might as well do nothing.'


It's difficult to help when the tragedy is so far away. All that most of us can do is support the larger charities. I think you'll find that,closer to home, there's a lot of voluntary work done. And a lot of genuine help to those who need it.

 

So what you are saying is that it's easy for people to clothe themselves in the veneer of caring while still indulging in the excesses of the west.
Yes.

What you want is for the world to stop pretending and get of its backside and do something more meaningful and long lasting?
No. What I want is to enjoy a discussion on the subject at hand, and reflect upon the nature of empathy. As I wrote in my opening post, “If we really cared so much about the death of strangers, preventable deaths would bother us more—they too would be in our thoughts and preys. Humans are impressed by drama. Being swept away by a wave has more dramatic value than quietly passing away in bed. Perhaps it is the drama of these events that prick us more than the actual suffering?”

We don’t care about everyone, we can’t, I merely ask why do people choose to care about one set of strangers over another set of strangers? Is it more the dramatic tv footage, or the acutal suffering of people that is moving them?
And how meaningful is that sentiment if it is merely words without action? As previously stated, I don’t doubt it’s a genuinely felt – but I think it is very inconsequential and fleeting. I think there is a difference between having a fleeting, reflex like feeling, and possessing a caring attitude. Merely having a reflex feeling of empathy alone does not make someone a caring person, in my opinion. I think many people in the West like to massage their self perception of being a caring person, when in fact they are merely emotionally reactive – if you can follow that!

 

You should have started your own thread on empathy instead of hijacking this one for your own enjoyment.

And you have no idea what anyone here has contributed.

 

I have to close this. I agree the thread was hijacked for a personal agenda.