being pro-active, rather than re-active.

While I was writing the OP, my mind went back to when I was in a sociology class discussing Bangladesh. The majority of the class thought this country should be doing more. But, of course, there were a couple of people saying that it wasn't our problem, or any of our business. Being either unable or unwilling to control myself, I said I agreed with one of them, and said "if these people would just get jobs, they wouldn't need help." The teacher laughed so hard that the other fellow was sorely offended, and refused to ever speak with me again.

In traditional Iroquois culture, one is to consider the impact of their actions upon those seven generations in the future. I like that.