No previous civilization has accepted the obligation to help human beings whoever they may be. Help was given to narrowly defined groups; the family, the clan, neighbours etc but its scope was narrow. I believe that this was the product of the poverty of all ages before our own.
But now the capitalist cornucopia is overflowing with the good things of life. I have noted elsewhere that the growth of wealth has had pernicious effects. But in this case the growth of discretionary income when combined with the psychological need to avoid pain and feel that one is really a good person at heart has made it possible for people either to give away just a little of their own money or through governments to give away rather larger amounts of other peoples' money. It may not be from pure motives but there is a degree of willingness to help strangers that has never before been present in any society.
But often they are not completely strangers to us. They are not abstract concepts on the other side of the world or on the wrong side of town. We see them on TV and their suffering is brought into our homes. Of course we generally turn away but maudlin emotional appeals touch many of us. The more spectacular the event, the more emotive the images, the more the money rolls in even if there are often more pressing needs elsewhere.
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