Inside the Growing “Caring Deficit” and How We Can Fix It
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We’ve survived egg shortages.
We’ve gotten over a lack of hand sanitizer.
We’ll somehow make it through the Sriracha sauce drought.
But there’s one thing we’re short on these days that no supply chain can fix—and that’s caring.
We’re in a caring deficit.
Check the comments on any social media post—I mean any. It can be a news item, a selfie, or a thoughtful statement. There’s a good chance at least one of the comments says something like: “Who cares?”
I used to see the humor in those responses. Because, you know, you have to care enough to stop, write, and post your “clever” retort.
And I’m not even talking about people with Dark Triad traits—narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy. This isn’t about them. This is about regular people who just don’t give a shit about other people.
So if a lack of caring is an epidemic, I wondered—how does that affect the people who run charity organizations?
I recently spoke with Buddy Teaster, the President and CEO of Soles4Souls, a nonprofit that’s been transforming lives since 2006 and has distributed over 90 million pairs of shoes worldwide.
We talked about the “caring deficit,” and Buddy shared that he and his wife see it firsthand through her work and volunteering at a family homeless shelter. They see how much people don’t seem to care about what happens to those who are struggling. He described how heartbreaking it is to witness people working hard, getting hit with bad breaks, and still being treated like their struggles are entirely their fault.
His advice? Giving people the benefit of the doubt might be “the biggest way you can care in the world.”
So how do you build a team of people when the world is filled with “I Don’t Care-ers”? (Yes, I made that word up.)
Buddy explained that caring acts as a filter. People who don’t care just don’t make it through that filter. The culture at Soles4Souls would likely spit them out, or they wouldn’t even make it past the hiring process.
For those who do make it through, caring is the fuel. As Buddy says, it’s “why they get up in the morning.” Their compassion motivates them to travel, connect with companies, and ask for shoe and clothing donations—or financial support. Because if it were “just a job,” as Buddy puts it, it “would suck.”
But when your work is tied to real, tangible impact? That’s where care and compassion become unstoppable.
In a world where the “caring deficit” feels more and more obvious, organizations like Soles4Souls show us what’s possible when compassion is more than a mission statement—it’s the heart of everything. Will reading (or even writing) this blog change the human condition, which is hardwired into so many of us? Probably not. But maybe we can take small steps.
Have you heard of Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory? It suggests people learn by observing others. We imitate, model, and respond to what we see.
So maybe that’s where we start. With just one person. You or me?
The next time you’re about to say “Who cares?” or “I don’t care,” stop yourself. Look inward. Ask yourself: “Do I really not care?”
Because maybe you should. And maybe, deep down, you really do.
