I think there are some people, like yourself :), who have more empathy than others. Perhaps this is a natural trait or perhaps a trait taught by good parenting. But for everyone like you, there are several more people who will cling more tightly to what they have and say "I will not be poor again, so I will keep what I have to myself", or "I suffered and got through it okay, it would be good for them to suffer this as well."
A lot of it, I think , has more to do with things one has gone through in childhood and how one was raised. Children who are severely abused are more likely themselves to have a lack of empathy because they have poor examples. Perhaps things one suffers in adulthood affect one differently. Just musing, not sure...