If all human beings on Earth lived in similar circumstances, then sending assistance elsewhere would not be necessary. We would help individuals near us who were suffering and feel confident that, elsewhere, compassionate people were also helping others.
However, in the United States we are living in a very privileged bubble and often ignore the other 95 percent of the planet. As the revered Buddhist teacher Judith Lief writes, "We have come to take for granted a level of prosperity, security, and personal freedom unheard of in most parts of the world. While we are obsessing about ups and downs of the stock market, the price of gas, or the hassles of HMOs, countless others are worrying about surviving ethnic violence and genocidal warlords, falling ill with no chance of treatment, or finding enough food to eat and clean water to drink."
We are not diminished - economically or morally - when we contribute to the well being of others or work to ease suffering. The altruistic nature of all major faith traditions reminds us to share our resources or abilities to aid those who suffer. Where a suffering person lives is irrelevant as our compassion recognizes that all sentient beings want to be free from suffering and, in America, we have more than enough resources to help.
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