In our hyper-connected world, we’re constantly bombarded with news of tragedies and crises from every corner of the globe. This endless stream of suffering can leave us feeling overwhelmed, guilty, and ultimately paralyzed. Yet being a good person doesn’t require carrying the weight of the entire world on your shoulders. In fact, focusing your compassion on those within your immediate reach may be the most meaningful way to make a difference.
The Limits of Global Awareness
There’s a common belief that being informed about every global tragedy is a moral obligation—that awareness itself is a form of virtue. But this perspective has several flaws. First, it’s simply impossible to be fully informed about all suffering everywhere. Second, awareness without action often leads to compassion fatigue, a numbing effect that can actually reduce our capacity for empathy over time.
When we spread our emotional resources too thin trying to care about everything, we may end up caring effectively about nothing. Psychologist Paul Slovic calls this “psychic numbing.” The human brain is simply unequipped to process suffering at scale.
The Power of Proximate Care
By contrast, focusing on those within your immediate sphere—family, friends, neighbors, and community members—allows for meaningful action rather than distant concern. Here’s why local empathy matters:
- You understand the context. You know the specific needs, culture, and circumstances of those around you, making your help more effective.
- You can provide tangible support. Whether it’s offering childcare to a struggling neighbor, supporting a friend through grief, or volunteering at a local shelter, your actions have direct impact.
- Your efforts create ripple effects. When you improve the lives of those around you, they’re better equipped to help others, creating a cascade of positive change.
- You can sustain your compassion. Seeing the direct results of your care reinforces your empathy rather than depleting it.
Finding Balance
This isn’t to suggest we should be indifferent to global suffering. Rather, it’s about recognizing our human limitations and working within them effectively. Consider the wisdom behind the airline safety instruction to “put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.” By building strong, caring relationships in your immediate community, you’re creating the foundation for broader positive change.
Being a good person starts with how you treat those you encounter in daily life. The customer service worker having a difficult day. The elderly neighbor who could use some company. The colleague struggling with a personal challenge. These interactions may seem small, but they’re the true measure of character.
In a world that often equates moral virtue with global awareness, remember that goodness begins at home. By focusing your finite emotional and practical resources where they can have the most impact, you create meaningful change that ripples outward—and that’s a truly good way to be human.
