Two ways to help people

There are at least two ways to help people:  rationally and compassionately.  There are people who can do both but most are mainly one or the other.  I talked about this a bit earlier.

I am an INTJ and my helping style is to help people understand basics so they can scaffold themselves up to wherever they want to be.  I like to provide documentation they can use if they want.

Bob helps with his heart.  Here is the description of why he does what he does:

...so here was a woman with three little kids sleeping in a car cold enough to be [solid frost] on the windshield and...  my heart just broke for that woman. What led her to that situation?  And what was going on in her heart and mind thinking about her children and herself?  And whatever let her to there, whatever circumstances, probably pretty dire circumstances.  She had no hope and she did not know what she was going to do and I could just _feel_ in the depth of my heart that hopelessness and the empathy in me just poured out for this poor woman.

He thinks the rationalists are engaged in dicksize wars.  I think he is wallowing in sentimental glurge.

I think the two types of helping can complement each other.  The kum-ba-ya videos and welcome subforum can get the newbies in and make them feel good, then they can learn from people who are less hand-holdy.