If I cannot immediately help people suffering far away, can I do more than feel sad?

When you see people suffering far away and do not immediately know how to help them directly, you can recite scriptures or sacred names and pray for their safety. This is an approach I offer from my faith. Even when there is not much we can do immediately, we can retain our concern for others and willingness to help.

When I saw news of people fleeing Afghanistan, I thought about how painful it would be if my own children were living in such fear. However, I did not understand the international situation or know which channels could deliver help to those in need. That was the extent of my knowledge at the time.

Can we pray for people whose faith differs from ours? In my understanding of faith, goodwill can still be conveyed. I used ripples on water as a comparison: one person’s strength may be small, but many people generating kind intentions together might create greater strength.

I hoped this strength might awaken goodness in people’s hearts and create an opportunity for the local situation to change. But the word here is “might.” Reciting scriptures does not establish that the situation or the rulers’ thinking will definitely change. Whatever effect we can have at the time, we can treasure the freedom and peace we already enjoy and share goodwill with those who are suffering, rather than treating their suffering as entirely unrelated to us.