Too much?

Is enough actually too much? This question was what I began to ponder after watching this video by John Green. His point that we insulate ourselves from suffering by trying to avoid suffering is valid.

I seem to work under the assumption that where there is suffering, there is misery. Do we add to any misery by causing loneliness to those that suffer? We know that illness and death are unavoidable, but loneliness isn’t. How would the poor and suffering feel if we were there with them? How would we feel? I expect that we would realize that there isn’t them and us. There is only us.

Many people try to alleviate suffering by offering financial support. That is an amazing thing to do, but how would the world would look if instead of running away from the very possibility of suffering, we banded together near the precipice and offered emotional support? Maybe instead of writing a check, we seek to hold a hand or have a conversation. Scratch that. If we can, we should write a check AND seek to hold a hand or have a conversation.