Humanity is letting me down.

I'm more than a little disappointed in the world right now. It's not the entire world that has left me crestfallen, just the human inhabitants of that world.

Here's the very brief version what what would otherwise prove to a be a very long rant:

People don't seem willing to step up and help out. Of the few that are willing to help, it's the same few every time. Most others don't want to be bothered. It's driving me nuts and making me absolutely livid

I sent out a call for help for a family that truly needs support in the face of a tragedy. I mentioned that the support could be at any level--from seeking out donations to just sending cards. I asked about 50 people for help. Three have offered to do so.

When dh was deployed the last time and I recognized the signs of PTSD, I sent out a call asking friends to send him cards, letters, care packages--anything. A few offered to help, but no one did.

I volunteer for a healthcare organization. If you suspect that it may be the same organization for which you volunteer, than chances are yes, it is. I have degrees and certifications in the field, but I work without pay (and often at a cost to me) because I think I can do more good that way right now. Yet when I ask the regulars for their input, they don't respond. When I try to provide for the larger community, the very people I help steal. When I spend an hour on the phone answering extensive questions at length, the information I provided is ignored. Why do I bother?

I'm no longer as willing to put myself out there as I once was. I try to keep a balance between living for myself, my family and my community (whether that's the physical community, the spiritual community, or simply the community comprised by the entire human race). Yet I still find my heart being torn out and stomped all over because people are simply not willing to help. They are, however, willing to let people around them suffer.

I must admit that I haven't done nearly as much as I could lately. That is, in part, because I've been so focused on my own family and recent events therein. I don't believe anyone should give of themselves to the point where they become the one suffering. I do, however, think we can all do something.

I completely understand that some folks have difficult things to survive right now. I understand that completely. By all means, focus on yourself and your family. Although, being annoyed that you have to run to 5 or 6 different stores in order to find a copy of Rock Band as an Xmas gift does NOT fit the definition of "Trauma."

We need to get off our butts and DO SOMETHING!!!

Come on, folks, look at that. You made me bust out the excessive punctuation. Come on, no one likes the excessive punctuation (or ever suspects the Spanish Inquisition). And look at that, you've made me use uppercase. DO NOT MAKE ME USE UPPERCASE! And will you feast your eyes on this? Now I'm over-using italics. Ladies and gentlemen, you can prevent this. If you don't want to be bothered helping those around you, then at least do some form of tzedakah so as to prevent my flagrant grammatical abuse.

I will say that those friends who are doing something truly leave me inspired. One friend who is a fairly recently single mother of 3 little girls immediately went out and bought things to donate to that family who lost everything (she's one of the 3 who responded). Another friend, who has had all sorts of chaos in her life is looking into getting a computer donated for that family. Yet another friend who is currently going through a very difficult and life-changing time, went out actively seeking creative endeavors that benefit others because she wants to try to do something for someone else. I am so grateful to have people like these in my life. I'm so grateful people like this exist. They are the reason I have yet to completely abandon humanity entirely.