There are two kinds of people: those who share their umbrella, and those who do not. The people who share their umbrella try to be aware of those around them. If they see someone exposed to the elements who appears wet and miserable, they feel a lurch of empathy. “Come out of the rain; there’s room for you under here.” Maybe the person with the umbrella remembers a time when they went without. Or maybe they can simply make an imaginative leap. Although they have no direct experience of it, nevertheless, they have an intimation of what it must be like to feel wet and miserable. They share freely, without asking if the other person deserves the kindness. Nor do they worry that this might somehow threaten their future ability to use an umbrella.
The people who do not share their umbrella may simply be preoccupied with other things. Once it’s brought to their attention that there are those around them who are wet and miserable, they offer shelter. But a surprising number of those who do not share have made a deliberate choice not to share. Maybe these umbrella-users are motivated by self-interest. Who’s to say? It’s impossible to crawl inside another person’s mind and understand what makes it tick. However, such umbrella-users expend a great deal of energy justifying their choice, whatever the motive. For example, they may say that they have worked hard for their umbrella and therefore have the right to enjoy it in solitude. Those who are wet and miserable are not victims, but indolent. If they worked hard, they too could own an umbrella which would keep them dry when it rained. Those without umbrellas have made a lifestyle choice. We should not feel sorry for them.