It is apparent that some things in life are more important than others. Importance is like it’s own hierarchy, automatically filtering everything that we take in.

And out of this filter comes a finished list of what we call “life priorities.” I have always wondered what makes something important to us. How something can change so drastically that our emotions can change in a heartbeat. And why some events leave us cold and untouched when in reality, it should make us scream with anger and sadness.

I have come to the conclusion that one of the biggest factors in this dilemma is proximity. I think that the closer to your life something happens, the more it affects you.

The Woolsey fire was the latest news at the time for Oak Park. I guarantee you that there was not a single person directly affected by the fires that did not have a story to tell.

Maybe it was a personal connection, maybe it was friends or family that had experienced something traumatic.

The point is: We all cared about it. It was important to us. It hurt us. And we wanted help right away.

The fires were at the top of our priority lists. Almost a year later, I heard about the Brazilian Amazon on fire. This time, the reactions were different. Way different.

I heard the standard “oh that’s terrible” or the “ Those poor animals and people.” Rarely did I hear a voice with the same level of concern and desperation as during the Woolsey fire.

Why? Because the Amazon is burning way too far away for us to have a connection with it. There are no glaring flames before our eyes, nor can we smell the permeating smoke that darkens the ashy sky over Brazil.

If we had a personal connection, our reactions would be different.

This phenomenon is simply unfair. However, it is natural to react this way—and we can’t help it.

And just like everyone else, I catch myself in this phenomenon all the time. I can’t help but feel guilty at times. But I try to distinguish insensitivity from keeping my sanity.

If we were super emotionally invested in every single world issue there is, we would be unstable emotional wrecks and we wouldn’t have time to eat.

But you can still give forth a piece of your empathy. Give that smile. Hold open that door. Check where those products are from. Become aware. The world will thank you.