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A sidenote on the earthquake in China
The one positive thought that comes to my mind when I watch a disaster like this unfold is this:
There's people from all over the world - they often work for the red cross or in similar organisations - who leave their safe homes, travel half around the world and risk their own lives to help save *complete* strangers.
They don't care for politics, colour of skin or languages, and surely they don't do it to become rich or popular.
Not because they have to, but because they *choose* to.
In recent years the word "hero" has been over- and misused quite a lot, but *if* you look for heroes to inspire you in your life you might want to consider those people.
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Real Heros...
I completely understand what you are saying here. We just don't see enough people trying to exercise real kindness. I think that alot of people see the examples you listed above, and they think that it's out of their league - they have to many things going on - they make excuses. Sometimes you don't even have to look further than your own backyard for ways that you can make a good impression and help your fellow man.
Which makes me wonder... There's a man in San Francisco (that city has a huge homeless problem) who's trying to sharpen his human interactions. Here's a project he's working on - I would like to hear your opinion. http://flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/2574461142/
Thomas Hawk's pictures
He's raising awareness for homeless people.
I know myself how it is to walk through places with many homeless people in it, we have the "Bonner Loch" here, which is a subterranean area under the trainstation here in Bonn with some shops in it. Since it's dry and warmer than outside in winter it's the choosen residence of Bonn's homeless people. (*)
I have to admit that I, like allmost everyone else, usually try to get through that place as fast as I can if I have to go through it. (**) I dare to say that for most people (including myself) homeless people are usually people we try to ignore for several reasons. They make us feel uncomfortable.
While there might be "good" psychological reasons for it (maybe fear of becoming one of "them" or something like that), it turns them into an anonymous mass.
Thomas, with his little project, gives them "back" their face and their name in some way. And he lets them tell their story - all of it helping to remind "normal" people like me that homeless people *are* someone. They all have a history that somehow ended with them on the streets.
(*) as a semi-positive sidenote: City officials have decided to tolerate the homeless in the Bonner Loch. They're not driven away by the police or something like that (as long as there is no real misbehaviour), actually the place where many of them sleep is basically in front of the police station down there.
(**) Well, maybe I have an additional reason to walk through there fast... Back in my "punky" days some alcoholic shouted an insult to me, I replied likewise with not even turning around, and then basically the last thing I remember is being grabbed by the shoulder and seeing some knuckles advance towards me. Next thing I know I was lying on the floor with him kicking at me. Not a nice memory, of course. On the other hand: It was other homeless people who interveined, dragged him away from me and helped me until I could stand up again. NONE of the other pedestrians even stopped to watch. This gave me an idea how it must be to be an "untoucheable" myself...
Everyone avoids them...
The homeless do make us uncomfortable. Also I think maybe the homeless persona is different in other countries - I don't know if that makes sense. I hate making generalized statements about our homeless... but here it seems like ALL of them are addicted to something and never want "real" help. A shower and a hot meal. Maybe some help for a new start. They may not all be like that, - well Thomas's photos prove that they're not like that... I still instantly assume that they do not anything more than a hand out. Our country is in a recession and all of us are working hard to make ends meet... It's a slap in the face if I give you a dollar and you go spend it on booze.
*sorry for the ranting* I think I need someone to positively spin these images for me.
on a side note - seems like all of us have "punky" pasts that end with fists and knuckles in the face. ha ha.