DARE TO STAND OUT! DARE TO VOLUNTEER!
Close your eyes and imagine you live in a perfect world. There
is no poverty, no natural catastrophes, no defenseless children
dying of hunger, no forsaken elderly people, neither tears, nor
sadness. It sounds quite good. Now slowly open your eyes again. A
wrinkle shadows your face as you realize it was just a silly dream,
and reality resembles more a nightmare. While the world craves for
help, many people simply turn their backs focusing on personal
problems and ignore the cruel truth. But there is still hope, for
there are some who have the courage to accept and fight against
these problems. They are volunteers, willing to make that beautiful
dream come true. There are a number of clear advantages of
volunteerism. Firstly, it builds a bridge between people of
different ages, nationalities or religions, giving them the
opportunity to co-operate in order to reach a goal and generate a
positive change. It is a form of social inclusion which contributes
to the development of a united society by creating trust and
solidarity bounds. Volunteers get involved in numerous
communitarian, ecological and educational actions, thus
contributing to the welfare of the society. Furthermore, it also
helps the volunteers themselves. Facing new challenges and meeting
different people facilitates the development of leadership as well
as communication and organizational skills. All in all, it is the
factor which shapes societies, personalities and lives.
It is undeniable that everyone wants to be powerful and
influential. Unfortunately, we live in a society which tends to
mistake power for financial status. Indeed, the only people who
truly have this generally wanted power are those who give a hand to
the needy ones. I believe true richness comes from the amount of
happiness you bring into other peoples lives and the number of
smiles you receive daily, not from a bank account. The only way to
achieve personal fulfillment is by offering something to the
others.
As far as I am concerned, getting involved in volunteering
actions may have been one of the best decisions I have ever taken.
Seeing poor and helpless people enhanced me with an accurate sense
of reality. But it also made me realize that I can make a
difference. Now I can say I am a responsible and caring person and
volunteering brings me personal satisfaction. Nothing compares to
the feeling you get when you bring a genuine smile on a childs face
or a sparkle of hope in the eyes of an elderly person.
Volunteerism is a great opportunity to stand out from the bored
crowd, and do something extraordinary. To my way of thinking, it is
a journey of self-discovery and anyone should give it a try. As the
roman philosopher Seneca said: The best way to do good to ourselves
is to do it to others; the right way to gather is to scatter.
