The New York Times and others report that five Moroccan men set themselves on fire this week in protest over unemployment. Modern technology did not fail to capture the moment, at once amplifying its impact and intensifying its ghoulish character. What depth of despair can drive a person to an act that can only be viewed with horror and its perpetrator with pity? Despair is too tame a word; such acts indicate a mind that is beyond despair. Can we not lift our brethren up before they conclude there is no alternative but to torch themselves?