Where is the compassion?

In a recent post, I quoted John Stott’s description of sin as self-centeredness. “For God’s two great commandments are first that we love him with all our being and secondly that we love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Sin, then, is the reversal of this order. To put ourselves first, virtually proclaiming our own autonomy, our neighbour next when it suits our convenience, and God somewhere in the background.” This quote was the latest link in a chain of comments I’ve seen in the last year that basically put self-centeredness at the core of so many issues. For example, a year ago, when studying the concept of humility, I read something by CS Lewis saying that humility is not to think less of yourself than you are, but basically not to think about yourself at all – that is, selflessness. And I’ve read things by John Stott, CS Lewis, and others all noting the importance of selflessness in showing love to others.

In recent weeks, I’ve read a string of absolutely horrifying accounts of people turning their back on someone in great and immediate need, people completely lacking compassion. First, there was the toddler in China who was run over by TWO trucks in the presence of witnesses, and nobody came to the child’s aid. I saw some argument about how police there can be lazy and declare whoever is close by to be guilty, so people were afraid. But it was a toddler! Better to face injustice in this world than to lose your soul.

Soon after reading about the toddler in China, there was a (very fast) conviction in the Lululemon murder. Apparently, employees of the store next door heard the murder happening, heard the woman calling out for help, and turned away and went back to work. Why? Because they thought it could just be a drama. ARGH!! Who cares if it is a drama?! If it turns out the store employees have a tv that they’re watching, they’ll learn to turn down the volume to a reasonable level when you or the police come to check it out. A woman might have survived if only people hadn’t turned their backs.

And sadly, no list of horrifying selfishness and/or total willingness to ignore what’s going on in front of you would be complete without Penn State.  How many people’s lives were destroyed because a whole string of Penn State employees chose to ignore an eye-witness account (much less the previous investigation) and simply decided to say it shouldn’t happen on their campus? They told a predator to go elsewhere. Nobody bothered to find the child and make sure he got help. Nobody called the police to report a violent crime. 

Unfortunately, such stories aren’t really new. If they were, we wouldn’t have the parable of the Good Samaritan. A Levite and a priest both avoided the man in distress. - It could be a trap!  They could be defiled and have to go through a week of purification! – Instead, it’s the Samaritan who shows love and compassion to the man, risking danger and using his resources to respond to a need.

Of course, all of these examples are horrifying in their seriousness, but there are little ways that we turn our backs on people every day. Granted, we can’t respond to every need, but there are many times where a kind word, bringing a meal to a sick friend, or lending an ear to a person in the midst of a trial makes a world of difference in a person’s life. What a different world this would be if people spent less time thinking about themselves and more time thinking about others.

In the middle of all of the immoral and callous actions I’ve read about recently in the press, I did read one thing that made me proud. Recently, a girl at my old high school was stabbed repeatedly in the chest and neck by a fellow (mentally unstable) student. She survived because of the immediate actions of her fellow students to subdue the attacker and staunch the bleeding and the quick thinking of medical personnel. That’s one life that did not end, one family that was not devastated, and an entire school that does not have to hang its head in shame.  They can be proud, because they did not turn their back on a person in need or waste precious moments thinking about their personal safety. They showed love and compassion to a person in need. Praise God for these “Good Samaritans”.