Giving money to help people in need is great, but I think the reason why well off people give to people far away is because it’s easier to swallow that someone who doesn’t share a similar day-to-day experience as you is in need. Compare that to the hundreds of homeless people we walk by in SF everyday without even making eye contact. If acknowledged, that would force us to address the uncomfortable feeling that we are privileged and benefit from it daily, while they suffer only feet away from us. I guess it’s selfish in a way (protecting our own feelings), but it’s a process and will take time for it be a norm in our society.