But why do we absorb news this way? We read about the plights of others like we’re reading the sports section — day after day, we fail to grasp the immense impact such tragic occurrences have on the existence of millions of fellow humans around the world.

In Louisiana, people are still poor, hungry and homeless, but the thoughts, sympathies and tangible support from most U.S. citizens has moved on. Many people may never have the money or resources to repair their homes and lives in Central America, but if they try to make it to the “melting pot,” they will face discrimination and possibly hate crimes because of their skin color and accents.

So is it easier to bury difficult topics in our minds and focus on deadlines, homework and parties — to become emotionless machines because it’s easier to feel nothing than to try and grasp the misfortune of others?

Perhaps we’re too pampered by our modern culture of convenience to even understand such problems.

We can’t empathize with the starving and jobless because we’ve never been truly hungry or poor.

We don’t comprehend the actual gruesomeness of the fighting in the Middle East and Africa because we’ve only seen war on TV and in pictures. We don’t really understand death tolls because no one close to us died.

But why must such connections exist for us to even try to understand? As a journalist, I’m taught stories must have a local connection to be newsworthy, to be of interest to local readers.

While this is a good rule of thumb most of the time — East Lansing residents likely have no interest in city council meetings in Port Huron or an arrest in Muskegon — sometimes events or situations arise around the world that shouldn’t need localization.

We should read, hear and learn about them, and we should feel a connection to strangers because we’re all human.

The federal aid response was initially slow after Hurricane Andrew ripped through southern Florida and Louisiana in 1992, but it only took one televised exclamation of frustration from Dade County emergency management director Kate Hale for then-President George Bush to respond with mobile kitchens and tents for the displaced. My mother immediately began volunteering in Miami — we lived in southern Florida at the time — and she remembers being of little help because there were too many volunteers.

Two weeks ago, Dorian Paskowitz, an 86-year-old surfing legend, read a newspaper story about two Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip who couldn’t both surf because they only had one board between them. Paskowitz, a retired doctor living in Hawaii, gathered 15 surf boards, flew to Israel and handed them out as part of a larger effort called “Surfing for Peace.” His goal was to try to unite Israelis and Palestinians through surfing, and to offer residents of the region at least one place to forget about violence.

Such reaction doesn’t need to be so drastic to make an impact. By volunteering locally, donating money or even simply spreading awareness, we can all make small steps toward a more informed and impassioned U.S. culture, instead of perpetuating our passive habits of laziness, apathy and misunderstanding.

Do your research. Look online, read and become educated about the world or your own backyard. See where you can utilize your skills to help others.

Liz Kersjes is the State News opinion writer. Reach her at kersjesel@msu.edu.