Are We Losing Our Compassion?

Yesterday, a man was hit by a car in Hartford, CT.  The driver who hit him sped away.  While someone called 911 and others caught the scene on their cellphones no one went to assist of comfort the man.  

Is this a sign that we are losing our compassion?

It is not the only sign I have noticed lately.   I read various articles online and often there are comment sections.  The articles will cover assorted tragedies:  Deaths, accidents,  deadly tonadoes, people stricken with cancer, etc.   And inevitably there will be comments alleging that “it was deserved,”  “the parents are to blame,”  “God sent a tornado to kill those people because we still have Roe v. Wade”.  Many are profanity laced.  Most are ignorant.  But why even say these things?  Someone is suffering and the only emotion others express is crassness.

Last week a teacher had her kindergarten class tell an autistic child why they didn’t like him and then, Survivor style, had him “voted off the island.”  Apparently the teacher egged the kids on.  Instead of helping children to understand and accept people with differences, she chose to teach ridicule and a lack of compassion.  She was removed from the class but has so far not lost her teaching license (as far as I know).

You Tube has been featuring videos of kids being beaten up by other kids while still more kids stand there and just watch.  I don’t get it.  What is the point of that?   Is technology turning us into barbarians?

I know that for every one of the above examples there are hundreds of people helping those in need, teachers demonstrating compassion,  kids standing up for other kids, people adopting special needs kids, or helping elderly neighbors.  That we as a nation have a high rate of volunteerism, and contribute to charities and jump in when disaster strikes but it is no less disturbing to see and read about times when people show no compassion or concern.

It just makes me sad.  And I worry that this is becoming more prevalent.