ThirstyFish

A resident is helping out Syrian refugees in Vathy.

Kudos to the people of Samos. During my stay there, not once did I see them mistreat a Syrian refugee. Unlike here in the U.S., or in many developed nations, the people of Samos have not lost their capability for empathy and for compassion.

A 2010 University of Michigan study found that "In just one decade, empathy dropped 40% in college students". As empathy decreases, narcissism increases. The empathy deficit is rapidly transforming us into a narcissistic society - it shows: The prevalence of psychological disorders, obsession with self-image, income inequality due to unfettered greed, abuse in the workplace, a strong re-emergence of racism and xenophobia... Today, we are more "connected" than ever and yet show little or no sympathy or compassion for others. A false self-esteem, privilege, wealth, entitlement and technology all lead to our empathy deficit. I don't know where psychology stands on this at present, but imho, Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) leads to Psychopathy - and there is no treatment for that.