[mewpmewp2]

But why does this case specifically matter? What if their system was down due to their WiFi or other layers beyond your software? Would you feel the same as well?

What about all the other systems and people suffering elsewhere in the World?

[twodave]

I don't understand what point you're trying to make. Are you suggesting that if I can't feel empathy for everybody at once, or in every one of their circumstances, that I should not feel anything at all for anyone? That's not how anything works. Life (or, as I believe, God) brings us into contact with all kinds of people experiencing different levels of joy and pain. It's natural to empathize with the people you're around, whatever they're feeling. Don't over-complicate it.