Have we lost compassion?

I had mixed feelings when my daughter came to me this morning, she went straight to our kitchen and asked me "Papa, can we give my friend some rice...they don't have food again." She was already holding the plate.

   The other time she asked me in melancholic tone "Papa, why my friend always don't have food, it's lunch time already?"

   Of course I don't have to discuss all the detail to my 5 years old daughter that her friend's father had irregular jobs and that he is a drunkard and always into gambling. I don't want her to have bad impressions about family life. I can give her little details that she can understand and point the lesson towards her "That's why you should study harder," I would tell her "so you can earn a job and buy some food when you grow up."

   I also added some advocacy that she can aim for in the future "When you had a job already, don't forgot your friends that are needy." 

   Now, alone after my daughter left, I had much thinking while playing games on my computer. I was touched with my daughter's compassion to others that I just prefer to ignore on daily basis. What am I doing here in front of my laptop while those people within sight are struggling to live? 

  No! No! I can not give them financial support of course. I myself is just a small time entrepreneur with an irregular artistic job as well. My sideline as face painter of course can't save the world. Or am I? 

  Now since Fher Ymas had domestic priorities, can he not contribute to these people? 

  Almost daily I can hear people mumbling about how difficult life is. Marriage life are regularly degenerating because of poverty and vices. Teen-age boys and girls are wasted because their parents can't afford even the fare going to respective schools. How many times have I heard my friends being jailed for either caught pushing or using drugs? Can we number those street children roaming half-naked, sniffing solvent, and dirty on major avenues? And what do I do, turn my face away from them or even curse them for their own fate?

   Have I let the pregnant lady take my seat on the bus, and argue on my mind that I was all-so tired of a days work? How about the old-lady asking for alms, have I given a single centavo but instead rebuke her away because giving alms is bad according to good-thinkers who said you are only tolerating them to beg more. But if you are not giving alms, what are you doing to help them? Oh come on Fher, the Government is there to help them. There's the hundreds of Charity services and Social workers who can deal with them. Let the churches help them.

   Maybe we have grown tired of seeing and experiencing all of these that's why we grew numb. And helping the oppress are jobs for heroes only. Donating to charities are for rich only. Our society would either label you as corny or old-school if you obey the rules. If you help someone in need they will accuse you of ulterior motives. 

   Alas! We lost compassion to people...people that are lost. Lost like us. 

   We have forgotten one power we can use above all things. We unconsciously ignore our ability to PRAY for others. 

   Who said "Love thy neighbor as thy self" anyway? That's outdated and ridiculous. 

   "Now, go Elyona give this rice to your friend."

What you spend years in building,

can be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway!