It doesn't have to do with civilisation, but with group compassion. In fact, civilizations tend to care less if somebody starves to death on the streets because their eyes are not performing well enough to earn money...

[–] MeetInPotatoes@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

That's really not true at all though. Look up "Food Pantries in my area" and see how many places offer food in your area. The blind man would qualify for lifetime disability checks. Food stamps are a thing, charities and churches do this kind of work as well. My city has an emergency rent program and there are, of course, homeless shelters and soup kitchens as well. It's really that society's mechanism for meeting the needs of the hungry are part voluntary (charity) and part automatic with entitlements (not a bad word!) and sometimes people fall through the cracks.

This is why getting people connected to resources is such a big deal.