Janessa and the Large Man on the Footbridge

"So Similar, So Different" and "Our Moral Tongue" are companion pieces,  intended or not.

In Mr. Krisof's op-ed he speaks of the question posed by Janessa, as to why we should not be compelled to take care of our own before others.  Mr. Keysar and Mr. Costa give rationale for the inquiry, in the visceral versus the abstract.

And I think this is our great failing, that we can find one life more worthy than the next. The conclusions we reach based on this premise know no boundaries.

Mr. Kristof, in the tale of his travels attempts to bring a humanity, a face, a value to those to whom we would otherwise have no emotional connection. He is putting the large man on the footbridge not only in each of our heads but in each of our hearts. Without that, this world will continue to be filled with the worst of what humanity has to offer.