While I don't agree with everything in this article, I have come to the realization recently that our society has has a real lack of compassion almost ingrained

While I don't agree with everything in this article, I have come to the realization recently that our society has has a real lack of compassion almost ingrained in it. I can only really speak for America, but the pervasive feeling I get is almost 'every man for himself' or 'I've got mine jack' Any sort of hand out is looked down on, getting anything for free is wrong. These are ideas that are just ingrained in our society it seems for better or worse We spend a pitiful amount of money on basically every social service and it's easy to get a feeling for how low we value them. I'm sure everyone feels the health care system does not really care about helping people. Insurance is tough to come by, people go broke paying medical bills. Health care workers are poorly paid. Even R&D investing is super risky and almost guaranteed not to pay off unless your investing in some new hair loss treatment or erection pill. Education, also a place we entrust to teach our young to be the best is invested in the least. Being a teacher is not a successful or prestigious position. The support you get from the administration and parents is almost non-existent. Burn out rates are high. We value public education so low, we just don't care that anyone is educated except ourselves and our own children. We see taxes as wasteful. No one really sees them as helping the common good. Or the more we pay the more we help our own society. We just see the potential waste, or if a single dollar is not spent the right way then all taxes are wrong. This almost black and white thinking of right and wrong is the same attitude we instill on our law enforcement and judicial system. The compassion there is almost non-existent. Prison is not about rehabilitation it is about punishment. We don't care about criminals and they deserve to basically live in hell for their crimes. Ok.. one more point. I've just had this feeling for a while and want to write it all down... Homelessness... In LA there are tent cities in downtown. It just follows the same line of reasoning as my previous points - as a society we just don't care about the 'collective' everyone else as long as we are good. Doing anything to help or comfort another human being that is not our direct friend or relative is not in our best interest. The lack of compassion we have turned into a virtue - it makes us stronger, tougher, more resistant, but does it? At least that is the line of thinking. I am so ingrained in this society that when I see any sort of hand out I automatically think that is bad, that people should work for what they have, and anything else for any other reason is just wrong... It is such an asshole attitude that we are basically a country of assholes. Some more that others of course. And it has now personified itself to the point where we 'a group of assholes' have elected an asshole as president. What is wrong with us?