A rotten society?

Today at Lausanne Gare, I saw an emaciated man asking for money. He couldn’t speak properly and I was unable to understand him so I just uttered the usual “désolé” and continued with the business of eating my Brownie. As I continued watching him begging in desperation and people avoiding him as usual, I felt a pang of shame inside. I came back to him and I offered him to buy what he wanted to eat at a nearby Bakery. He said that he wanted me to get a beer for him. I said no and walked away. I didn’t feel any anger towards him but helpless as in what could I do for that guy and how the society must have failed him.

This is not the first time I have seen people in dire conditions here. Once it was in Lausanne metro when I saw a guy(in his late 20s) drinking beer, holding a bag with what seemed like leftover food and sobbing softly. I couldn’t muster the courage to ask him if I could help him or to give him a hug that everything is going to be okay and will always be ashamed of that. I have seen many other incidents like this.

All this bags the question that despite Switzerland being one of the richest countries, still has people who are homeless , who have fallen into addiction or bankruptcy due to bad luck/desperation and are now isolated from the society, ignored by people as if they are invisible and sometimes a matter of pity for others but never our compassion. What good is it to just collect these riches for oneself for which immigrants like myself come over here and the natives pride themselves over? When our own brothers and sisters languish in isolation, addiction and misery. Is an human not worthy of compassion from his fellow humans?

P.S. - Just so that the racist douches know both guys were caucasians and the second guy was Swiss which became evident when he showed his Swiss ID to the transport Lausanne ticket examiner. [The race or origin shouldn’t matter but I don’t want my post to be filled by how third world nationals are lazy and deserve all this]