I know the following is simplistic and fails to address the complexities of the situation - but isn't that the norm for most of the answers society comes up.

I suspect ONE of the reasons that the tsunami has touched much deeper than many of the other humanitarian issues which impact on the world is that the cause of the devistation is so obviously out of the hands of the victims, in many of the other crisis it is easy (even if misguided) to see the cause as predominately a mix of local cultural and or religious values.

- The Indian Ocean does not have a strong history of tsunami (in terms of one being a likely occurance, not in geological terms).
- The economies are dependant on the ocean, they can't simply live in the hills.
- This is not a case of one group attacking another or people breeding beyond the reasonable capacity of their land to support them, it is nature killing those who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

We are touched because this could have been us and still could be. My giving might actually make a difference rather than perpetuate the causes. Maybe the rebuilding will include early warning systems so that next time people are not at the beach when the waves hit.

I know that individual victims of other crisis may often have little or no control over what happens to them, just this time nobody did.

R0bert

Right on Greg. Agreed.

Is there not something deeply flawed about a person who equates 200000 people dying in the tsunami with a government evicting aliens who arrive here illegally, then tell as many lies as possible and rort our legal system as far as they can, being prodded and encouraged in their illegal activities every inch of the way by greedy lawyers and others?

This entire article is self-aggrandizing, feel-good rot of the highest order.

Greg, great article and a timely reminder about the importance of perspective. Selective compassion has a way of tearing at the foundations of society because it raises more questions than answers. When compassion is consistent then it does a better job of reflecting our basic values. It provides a better sense of who we are and a guide in how best to care. I personally cannot separate out my compassion in one disaster or humanitarian conflict from another and yet that is what so many of us are indulging in as a community. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said "When a whole nation is roaring Patriotism at the top of its voice, I am fain to explore the cleanness of its hands and purity of its heart."

Bozzie (always such a reliable perspective) - you're just indulging in selective interpretation, which makes your argument deeply flawed rather than Greg's article. Feel-good rot of the highest order? This article doesn't make me feel good at all.

Audrey, the article wasn't written to make you feel good. Greg wrote it to make himself feel like a top class human being. (Which I really have no doubt he is - & no I'm not being sarcastic.)

Who doesn't feel bad about what's happening in many countries of the world? But what does Greg say we should do about it? Nothing! Not a word about nuts & bolts, just a diatribe about how awful everyone is, what mongrels companies are, what a hipocrite Costello is, what an evil government we have for trying to protect our borders etcetera, ad nauseum.

What does he think happens when aid is sent to places like Somalia or the Sudan? None of it gets to the people in need, the government takes it to feed it's own troops or sell it to buy more arms to annihilate more of the population. The best thing to help the Sudan would be for the gutless United Nations to get in there and use a bit of force. But oh no we couldn't do that, we'll all sit around and send money and food to prop up the government while another few hundred thousand people die.

Audrey, you might like the masochistic feeling of being told what a worthless, nasty little person you are - but I'm getting a little bit sick of it.

I totally agree with Bozzie.To allow illegal immigrants here with an open door policy will only see our country reduced to the chaos these people are trying to escape.We are willing to help these people in their own countries.These nations must evolve at their own pace and must practise contraception to improve quality of life.To come to this country you must have the right skills,intelligence and positive attitudes to want to contribute,not just to collect a pension or social security benefits.

I am very cynical about this article. What are we expected to do? Babysit the world, or return to colonialism? Greg Barns and his ilk would have none of that. How exactly westerners are supposed to live in a permanent state of sorrow for the world's problems never ceases to amaze me. But I think that's the problem. The world won't accept responsibility if they know they can blame the west.

The author lost my support in his first sentence.

Attempting to compare the outburst of spontaneous compassion by individual Australians toward those who are the innocent victims of a monsterous and massive disaster and the "legal" detention of people who have attempted to avoid migration requirements is not cynical in any way.

I think the "cynicism" which Greg Barnes is "experiencing" is being projected from his own deficient persona.

As one who has made (inadequate) contribution to help relieve the suffering of Tsunami victims and who adamantly supports our government stand against illegal asylum seekers let me remind Greg Barnes that

The private donations which individuals and corporations have made are voluntary and derived from "discretionary" income.

I am certain of one thing - I will decide how I will deploy my "discretionary" income - and no one else EVER will - otherwise it would not be "discretionary".

I'm reluctant to agree with Bozzie (!) but my thoughts on finishing the article were ....'Yes Greg, I agree with your overall premise but what do I do?' The tsunami was one incident which I found it easy to get my head around. It was in my loungeroom, in my brain, and in what passes for my hard old heart, (I'm not a great 'donator' to organised charities for the same reason I've seen expressed in so many ways in relation to this disaster - how much gets to the victims?). I am aware of many of these other areas that need 'assistance' but how do I go about helping in some way? Perhaps Greg could do a follow up article on what he does, and avenues to allow the 'ordinary, mainly ignorant Jo, (yes, my name is Jo!), Public to make a difference no matter how small. Its the scale of the problem worldwide that's so overwhelming and paralysing.

Regards

Jo

JO !! Ur heart is in the right place, *tick* :) but you are suffering from a very common virus these days.. "not in touch with the deeper realities of the world" One of my friends was the Director for the CARE operation in Africa some years back.. (many) and he told me that he had to authorize a FLEET of trucks to be purchased for one the local war lords who would then KEEP them and build up his business interests. (When was the last time you priced 10 Kenworth Trucks ????)Is that where u want your compassion dollar to go ? Apart from the tsunami, most of the problems of the world are POLITICAL, and what irritates me about Greg Barnes article is that he would probably have some twisted view about the IVORY coast, yet WITHOUT looking at WHYYYYY it is occurring !!! The Ivorians used to have an 'open door' immigration policy, "come..share our wealth and blessings" so.. people from surounding countries DID just that..in such numbers as to enable them to control the majority of the wealthy areas and then put up a presidential candidate who will FURTHER erode the political and social rights of the indigenous Ivorians, and who (now that they have the rich areas) can use the FRENCH as their 'club' to restrain the Indigenous Ivorians from re-claiming what they had lost to 'foreigners' Now..is this XENOPHOBIA or.. common sense ? Have people changed ????

Barnes is advocating policies which would produce the SAME political result for Australia. We treat illegals as they deserve to be treated. To my mind, anyone who has travelled through 3 safe countries looking for ASSYLUM is NOT looking for assylum. When u consider that they have left their families behind.... abandoned them to the fate they are fleeing (allegedly) from... In Macdonalds Jakarta one minute..having a laugh, then 'tragic poor compassion deserving 'refugees' the next.. is ludicrous.

GREG.. why not just TELL US of your political agenda.. to bring more people here who in the guise of "assylum seekers" are in fact 'predisposed voters' who will support any party making it easier fo them and their extended families to come here..

I've SEEN the 'immigration/refugee' card played many times. Sabah, a state of malaysia.. when the Chief minister was Muslim, all the 'refugees' came from Southern Philippines.(Muslims) when the CM was Catholic, all the 'refugees' came from East Timor (catholic).. amazing how most things can be broken down into 'political motive' Greg.

ROBERT ......

very well captured mate. I can't agree more. 'not of their own doing' (except for deciding to build on low lying coastal land when u know Tsunamis are a fact of life :) but aside from that.. what you said is totally fine. There was no POLITICS in it... just a'choice of location'.

What I find MOST aggrivating is now some 'historically challenged' folk like Greg Barnes and Waleed Aly (The Age) attempt to politicize it and insult us with diatribes about 'selective compassion' ???????

I mean..the best way to alienate a community is to throw rocks at its BEST example of generosity for the sake of scoring political points.

Well done Rob

BOAZ

Look I agree it's bad form to start criticizing people when they ARE being compassionate... but I equally am sick of hearing everyone praise themselves for being so considerate. I've heard more about how compassionate Australians are lately than about the tsunami itself, particularly with Australia Day. And it sounds like people are getting too cocky... like because we gave so much to the tsunami victims we can sit back and not give anything to anyone else suffering in the world and still feel proud of ourselves.

I was surprised at the amount of aid Australians wanted to give, but annoyed that as a country we don't give this generously more often. How about the victims of Iraq? They are suffering just as much, and it's worse because we are all partly responsible for their suffering. I agree that people have probably warmed to the cause of the tsunami because it was not political, and it was close to our shores. But let this overwhelming compassion not be an excuse for us to be slack but to encourage us to give this generously more often, as we are obviously capable of it.

-Emily