The problem with human compassion

" On MARCH 13, 2002, a fire broke out in the engine room of an oil tanker about 800 miles south of Hawaii. The fire moved so fast that the Taiwanese crew did not have time to radio for help. Eleven survivors and the captain’s dog, a terrier named Hokget, retreated to the tanker’s forward quarters with supplies of food and water.

The Insiko 1907 was supposed to be an Indonesian ship, but its owner had not registered it. In terms of international law, the Insiko was stateless, a 260-foot microscopic speck on the largest ocean on Earth.

Now it was adrift. Drawn by wind and currents, the Insiko got within 220 miles of Hawaii. It was spotted by a cruise ship, which rescued the crew. But as the cruise ship pulled away, a few passengers heard the sound of barking.

The captain’s dog had been left behind on the tanker. The Society alerted fishing boats about the lost tanker and soon media reports began appearing about Hokget".

Eight years before Hokget saga began, the same world that showed extraordinary compassion for a dog sat on its hands as hundreds of thousands of human beings were killed in the Rwandan genocide.

Thousands of dollars was spent for the rescue this dog. With each passing day, the calls from around the world intensified asking: Had Hokget been found?

Well, this subject shows us the how human compassion is so visceral with a single lost animal and so abstract with genocide!

I think that the media helps to increase this problem showing subjects that touch the human heart. Some research shows that human compassion is more touched by small and isolated cases than the big catastrophes.

People prefer help somebody who is known by media and has become famous. In my humble opinion, the media is guilty for bringing unknown people so close to the population.