Should I care about others?

In a world of 24 hours media, where you have access to 7 days week information about anyone you want, from anywhere, should you really care about others?

At any moment, there is a conflict or tragedy going on, so I was just remembering a story a friend of mine once told me. He was a very Catholic person and as a good Catholic, he used to like to give alms to the poor. However, one day he was without much money and there were many beggars waiting for their alms - he shared his inner struggle with me as he contemplated and tried to decide to whom he should give his few coins...

Is that happening now, in a massive scale? Should we cry for the victims of Iraq or USA? Should we send money for the refugees in Africa or to the people affected by the last natural tragedy? Or shouldn't we bother at all?

Many years ago, a huge earthquake affected Gujarat, near a place I go every year in India. People from the whole world started to pour money into that state, but I remember someone saying that all was a question of consciousness...

Am I helping because they are poor and helpless, and I have the money? Perhaps, there is another way to see that situation...

In a traditional family, there is always something going on: Frank is jobless again, Mary has problems with her husband or grandpa is not well and someone has to go with him to hospital. Families share responsibilities, in a natural way. Yes, some will complain, but at the end, there is a kind of balance in a normal family.

If we see the whole world as a big family, then it we are looking at a person who is going through a bad moment in their lives. They are not poor, in a bad sense... they are worthy, and if we see them like that, our help won't be a debt for them. We will really be caring about them, in our hearts, not only externally, not only because television is showing us that, but because they are our brothers and sisters.

Not only we will help them at the moment, we will try our best to create conditions so that won't happen again, ever.

Then, it is worthy to care about others. Otherwise, it is better to change the channel...