You Volunteer? Really?

What's the point in volunteering? Well, there happens to be many. Helping your community, enhancing a college application, being a good person, and other things. Now those are just the generic reasons as to why people volunteer. I, however, want to delve deeper into those generic reasons and find out some of the original ones that people have. Winston Churchill once said, "You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give." There is an obvious truth behind that statement. How can we, as humans, not help someone else in need. Not even a person. What about a community? What about everyone?

Being a volunteer means more than picking up trash in a park or creating dinners for the homeless. It's more than the time you put into it and what you expect from it. It's about what you can say at the end of the day. Do you think to yourself, "I'm tired and that's enough for me for awhile." Or do you think, "I wish I could get out there right now and do more for people." Volunteering should mean more than getting hours onto an application or being recognized with rewards.

After you go out and volunteer, there should only be a few thoughts in your head. "I helped someone other than myself that was in need...real need." or "I changed their life, even if it was only for a small time period." or "I would trade places with a person in need for a day just so they could feel like I do everyday." Of course, there are many people that volunteer because it makes them feel great and it's something they're passionate about.

See, that's the problem with our world. There's a minority doing all of the work that counts and it's not different with volunteering. I estimate that only 1 out of every 3 volunteer workers does it because they're passionate about it. The other two have selfish motives behind it or they have no passion.

Then again, anyone who volunteers has some heart above everyone else. Do you know why? They're doing something that not many other people will do. Sure, millions of people volunteer every year, but what about the hundreds of millions of people that don't? What do they do while others volunteer? Eat, sleep, play sports, sit around all day. What?

Of course, there are tons of other people that are helping people. Inventing new things and passing new laws. But do those people really help the people that live on low incomes and the homeless? Homeless people don't have access to everything we do, so you must think that they are left out of at least some things.

My belief is that volunteering to help in your community is the biggest contribution you can make in your life. Cleaning a beach, cleaning a park, packing/serving dinners to seniors and the homeless, planting trees or flowers, recycling, etc. All of those things help everyone. Some of them help the homeless and those that can't support themselves. Others help wildlife and habitats. No matter what you do when you volunteer, you're helping something or someone.

When you're volunteering over the summer, don't think about the hours you need for your college application to look good. Think about the people that are in need and that you can help. If you pack supplies for people in third world countries, just think about that guy who has a family that hasn't eaten in a week. When you clean a beach, think of the fish that don't die from our waste. Don't think about yourself because that's when you're not a volunteer. That's when you become selfish.

Think of others when you volunteer and your work will benefit everyone and everything. The joy you bring to one person can make them bring joy to another which in turn leads to a chain of joyfulness. You may find it hard to believe in this day and age, but you'd be surprised at what a person can do for the greater good.