After a fascinating and infuriating discussion with people about compassion versus the 'greater good' when it comes to the effects of harsh government policies on an unsuspecting and hapless public, one was left with a terrible impression of the humanity of humans. This conversation was followed by another on the general lack of philanthropy amongst Indians in India and the effect was even more depressing. It takes an amazing mind to justify death and suffering all because of the love of one leader or one political ideal. It does not matter whether the leader is Adolf Hitler or Pol Pot or Indira Gandhi or Narendra Modi. It is the mindset of the 'follower' that is in question. If someone says to you that their sick baby died because on November 9, 2016, the hospital refused to accept the now illegal cash you had saved for treatment, what is a 'normal' reaction? Shock, anger, empathy, sympathy, pain? Or do you dismiss the person and say that the baby could have died anyway or that people die all the time? Or even that a few deaths are normal when some major decision is taken? And that later, all will be well because everything takes time?

There is this clear moral angle to charity and compassion, and perhaps a religious one as well. Representation pic