“ This is the beginning—from "I" to "we". If you who own the things people must have could understand this, you might preserve yourself. If you could separate causes from results, if you could know that Paine, Marx, Jefferson, Lenin were results, not causes, you might survive. But that you cannot know. For the quality of owning freezes you forever into "I", and cuts you off forever from the "we". ” — Chapter 14, The Grapes of Wrath, J. Steinbeck, 1939

its commendable that you have the desire to help others..

but a bit of blunt truth...
there always has been and always will be suffering in the world. - all life is suffering.

no matter how hard you try there is no way to help everyone - do the best you can to help those whom you are able to..

Compared to here in s.e asia , the middle east, and africa people there in the u.s are living in paradise.. - even with the economic problems life is still better for westerners than for people elsewhere..

Have spent my life patching up people in warzones and disaster area's seen and experienced how people live in places that dont have the conveniences that americans / westerners take for granted .. In most cases the conditions were created by westerners with their colonialism, empire building , greed and materialism.. life is much harder for the poor in the rest of the world.

sometimes no matter how hard you try the patient cant be saved... do what you can for those that your able to. at least youre making a small improvement in the world and every little bit adds up.. dont let the naysayers get to you..