I often feel the same way about it all.........we forsake our own for profit.
Good post. I agree, we need to change our priorities.

In any society there will always be poor people in most they will be a majority, a measure of the greatness of a society is how small that majority is. The Internet is just approaching adolescence in the communications industry and we are just seeing it rise to it's political potential, foremost being it's ability to give everyone equal footing in the exposure they may receive as well as the ability to clearly state their platform. The wealthy as well as many not so well off people send billions (retail costs in the US market) in medicines to Africa & S.E. Asia. Charity is alive and well among the people of the world, the corruptions you note are sprung from institutional collusion Vanity, Greed, the worship of Money above all else by the men we elect to rule and elsewhere those who take the reins or are born with them in their hands... basically one or 2 percent of the people in the world. We are responsible for our own miseries because we reelect the same people time and again paying them more and getting less for it each term. We the free men of the world are responsible for the abuses visited on our brothers in bondage be it malevolent dictatorships, ruthless warlords, oppressive communism, or political internment because we have the guns, the money, the right & the duty to set them free. I think that as a world civilization we have become cynical & distrustful instead of open & integral. What there is to be done about that is beyond my limits but I suggest we live up to our obligations first then see where we must go from there. The Democrats want more poor people because poor people vote democrat (aside from some statistical anomalies) the party pitch is always the same, "we'll provide better programs to make it more comfortable on the bottom," not we'll reach down and pull you up from the bottom. Republicans want poor people to be felons so they can't vote. Neither wants to change anything from the status quo of the rich getting richer and the rest getting poorer because almost all the men/women in office are rich from the "well to do" to "Jesus how many generations does it take to get that rich?"

the things I advise the average person to do to make both their life and the world a better place:

Plant a garden no matter how small or what you grow.
Volunteer 40 hours a year or more for a charity or non-profit you feel good about.
Walk 7 or more miles a week.
Cook/prepare at least 7 meals a week for yourself/family.
Give a turkey to a shelter during the holidays or donate to a food bank.
"Adopt" a soldier: send care packages to people who are in harm's way so you won't be.
Use public transportation when ever you can.
Join Big Brothers/Sisters or similar outreach group.
Give blood.
House exchange students from poor nations for your local Universities, Colleges, & High Schools.

& I'm sure there's much I haven't thought of but, I tried to constrain myself to a household of three or four with an income between $70,000 & $150,000 per year.