How do you cope with knowing that there is needless suffering?

[Dankk]

As we speak, there are innocent kids in third world countries who are dying from malnourishment; there are people starving to death; there are babies and small children, helpless, who are neglected and abused by their parents; and there are dogs, cats, and other domestic animals who's owners torture and mistreat them. There are probably millions of innocent living beings, human or otherwise, who are in pain and they don't understand why, and/or they don't deserve it.

So how do you cope with knowing this? Do you turn a blind eye to it all? Do you work or volunteer somewhere? Are you part of a religion or belief system that helps you? If you feel sad about it, and you know that as one person you can't possibly help everyone who are needlessly suffering, then what do you do?

Not meant to be troll-bait, or whining, or anything like that. Legitimate question looking for legitimate answers.

 

[alfa147x]

lol cope.

I surf the web knowing that it was my luck that i'm not one of those kids. It sucks to be them but for me not to be neffing won't do much for them.

 

[LTC8K6]

Third world? It's happening near you...

 

[Bignate603]

Third world? It's happening near you...

This. If you feel bad go volunteer, donate something you don't need anymore, or give cash to a good cause. If you're not willing to do something like this you don't really feel bad. There's opportunities to help all around you.

 

[Ms. DICKINSON]

Wait, there are other countries exist outside of the great US of A?

 

[Via]

You can drive yourself crazy thinking about this kind of stuff.

One normal person can't save the world, they can only do their part. I donate $100 a couple of times a year to international relief, and I support many of my local relief organizations.

I alway pick up a $10 bag of groceries for needy people when they're offered; I just can't walk past those bins.

I can't do much else now. If I ever have the means to I'll contribute more.

 

[Glitchny]

It doesn't enter my thoughts during the average day. Not really a concern of mine.

 

[alfa147x]

Third world? It's happening near you...

That's true. My university does of a lot of service trips. I love them

I hate giving money away but service trips are awesome

 

[Nebbers]

I help out from time to time when I am able, and take some comfort / guilt relief knowing that I'm offering more help with my limited resources than countless people who have far more wealth than they could possibly need are offering.

 

[rhino56]

The problem is this has been going on for as long as i can remember, and in 45 years i haven't seen one charitable organization do much to change it. Giving people supplies doesn't seem to change anything, they need to teach them how to live better. One person could change how a village lives. But don't think you need to travel to Africa to find starving children, go to Detroit, teach people that drugs are bad. There should be some kind of law that makes people get sterilized after the second drug offense.

 

[Ricochet]

You can't dwell on something you can't control.http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/vulture-stalking-a-child/ You wouldn't be able to move on with life that way.

Couldn't help be reminded of the story below.
Link

 

[Newbian]

I fap to feel better. 😛

 

[rhino56]

You can't dwell on something you can't control.http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/vulture-stalking-a-child/ You wouldn't be able to move on with life that way.

Couldn't help be reminded of the story below.
Link

This world is just full of horror, unthinkable acts and brutality towards innocents.

In WW2 the Germans would burn down villages and just throw the babies into the fire so they didn't grow up to fight them one day.

The Turks were even worse by cutting unborns from the mothers womb and throwing them into the air to catch them on their bayonets while the dieing mother watch.

 

[lxskllr]

Death, disease, and starvation are a natural, and healthy part of an ecosystem. It isn't worth worrying about because it has to be.

 

[Sonikku]

But but.... All that suffering around the world gets us cheap electronics and $5 T shirts! 🙂

 

[HamburgerBoy]

But but.... All that suffering around the world gets us cheap electronics and $5 T shirts! 🙂

Incorrect. Backwards government, lack of education, and too many babies gets them suffering.

 

[schneiderguy]

As we speak, there are innocent kids in third world countries who are dying from malnourishment;

lol

there are people starving to death;

rofl

there are babies and small children, helpless, who are neglected and abused by their parents;

lmao

and there are dogs, cats, and other domestic animals who's owners torture and mistreat them.

lulz

There are probably millions of innocent living beings, human or otherwise, who are in pain and they don't understand why, and/or they don't deserve it.

lmfao

So how do you cope with knowing this?

 

[Newbian]

The problem is this has been going on for as long as i can remember, and in 45 years i haven't seen one charitable organization do much to change it. Giving people supplies doesn't seem to change anything, they need to teach them how to live better. One person could change how a village lives. But don't think you need to travel to Africa to find starving children, go to Detroit, teach people that drugs are bad. There should be some kind of law that makes people get sterilized after the second drug offense.

Charity starts at home. 😛

Plus as history has shown except in disaster type situations most of the time when a charity brings in food and resources in places that have barley anything they continue to do nothing to fix it and even less and when the supplies run out they either starve or become violent to survive.

 

[Veliko]

Watch porn, get drunk or eat a packet of crisps usually.

 

[Kadarin]

I give a crap about things that matter to me, and genocide in Darfur (for example) simply does not.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Guilt? Not really. I didn't do anything to cause their pain. I'm sorry for them, and I wish that they weren't in the predicament they are, but being sorry, as we're constantly being told by our tutors, does not constitute acknowledgement of guilt or responsibility for cause. And I have more pressing things to worry about myself. As for people being 'innocent' and not deserving things...how is this not a non sequitur? Nature doesn't care about fairness or equality. What is, is. And if you can't live with it, tough.

And define 'innocent'. And tell me what innocence has to do with anything.

 

[mrblotto]

I donate/volunteer occassionaly. It's a good feeling to help others instead of just thinking about yourself.

 

[dawp]

as opposed to needed suffering?

 

[Anubis]

It doesn't enter my thoughts during the average day. Not really a concern of mine.

this and on those days where it does enter my brain it has absoutly no effect on me

 

[amdhunter]

I feel comfort in knowing they feel comfort by believing in God or someshit.