I'm Canadian, but it applies just the same.

This essay kicked its way home right into my gut. I've spent some time in Asia, and while there are certainly issues with people there as well, there is a much higher sense of community, belonging, and care for the well-being of others. For example: when carrying a backpack/grocery bags/big purse on the bus or subway, someone who has a seat will take them and hold them for you while you stand. They will not steal anything. The entire point is to make your journey more comfortable.

It is looking at the person in front of you, realising you can ease their discomfort, and doing it.

Read the whole essay, it's worth it.

Here it isn’t every man for himself. Here people won’t steal from you on the bus. Here there is a general sense of people being connected by more than just breathing the same air. Take the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and the way the Japanese responded to it. It was remarkable the way there were no reports of rooting or lawlessness when millions needed food and medical attention. Imagine if something similar to that happened in the United States, where we are anything but united...