I'm a young guy (born in the early 90s), and it boggles my mind as well. I was raised to help others because it's the right thing to do. Maybe they'll help me out when I need a hand. Maybe not. It doesn't really matter if I get something out of it besides knowing I've done right by others. Especially when I've dealt with a lot of shit in my short time on this earth and, frankly, would be dead if not for the compassion, patience, and goodwill of friends, family, and strangers. You're right about the lack of community nowadays. It seems like society today is all "me, me, me" (for many people of all ages, surprisingly), and it's just disheartening. Perhaps it's the rise of technology. Perhaps it's a paradigm shift from something we have yet to identify. Perhaps our entire civilization is just going to shit and this is just one more symptom that we all choose to ignore... Regardless, thank you for writing that. You summed up my thoughts far better than I could have. It's just depressing how so many people fail to understand the basic concepts of community and "the common good." I don't get it, man. I just don't understand the rampant lack of basic empathy. What changed? What happened?