As food banks, soup kitchens and charity shops now have waiting lists for volunteers wishing to help out, it's evident that the urge to help the less fortunate, especially at Christmas, is keener than ever.

The cynics among us might scoff that such altruism is based on nothing more noble than middle-class guilt. However, this view does not explain the involuntary rush of ordinary people to help others when disaster suddenly strikes, as happened last Monday when a bin lorry crashed into crowds of shoppers near Glasgow's George Square, killing six and injuring more. Nor does it explain the increasing numbers of young people who willingly put themselves in uncomfortable, if not downright dangerous, situations, driven by nothing more than a conviction that they have been put on this earth to serve those who need them.

One of these is the 34 year old Edinburgh GP Catherine Sutherland, who spent Christmas in the Central African Republic with the volunteer medical service Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF), tending people who need emergency assistance with limited resources following the sectarian violence between Muslim and Christian militias last year. She said she was motivated by knowing her expert knowledges was needed to help save lives.

Rather than put it down, we should treasure the innate goodness of human beings. Its habit revealing itself only in moments of darkness and despair surely makes it all the more precious.