I encountered this classic criticism of the moral-shortsightedness of the emotions by Adam Smith (yes, the venerable economist) from "On Universal Benevolence" while reading Martha Nussbaum's _Upheavals of Thought_ , which struck me particularly because it accurately anticipates my own (and, I assume, your) lack of *feeling* about the tsunami disaster, et al.:

"Let us suppose that the great empire of China, with all its myraids of inhabitants, was suddenly swallowed up by an earthquake, and let us consider how a man of humanity in Europe, who had no sort of connexion with that part of the world, would be affected upon receiving inelligence of the dreadful calamity. He would, I miagine, first of all, express very strongly his sorrow for the misfortune of that unhappy people, he would make many melancholy reflections upon the precariousness of human life, and the vanity of all the labours of man, which could thus be annihilated in a moment... and when all this fine philosophy was over, when all these human sentiments had been once fairly expressed, he would pursue his business or his pleasure with the same ease and tranquility, as if no such accident had happened. The most frivolous disaster which could befal hismself would occasion a more real disturbance. If he was to lose his little finger to-morrow, he would not sleep to-night; but, provided he never saw them, he will snore with the more profound sincerity over the ruin of a hundred millions of his brethren, and the destruction of that immense multitude seems planly an object less intersting to him, than this paltry misfortune of his own."  ¶ 12:51 AM