Responsibility in volunteering, first we learn, next we fulfil and then we cherish. There is a certain satisfaction that you feel in your heart and soul, when a sacrifice or effort that you made, serves to brighten the life of another fellow human being, or maybe even a furry friend. This feeling of satisfaction is one of the purest that mankind can feel, and volunteering is one of the holiest acts that mankind can perform. We can say that volunteering is something that one should do regardless of their age, gender, occupation or race, because through volunteering, we can learn so much about our community and ourselves and change ourselves in so many ways that we did not think possible, and all for the greater good as well. Through volunteering we meet many new people in all stages of their life, be it old, young, rich, poor, fortunate, unfortunate, loved, isolated, remembered or forgotten, who tells us their own unique story and sometimes, slightly change the way in which we see this world. Not just humans, but Mother Nature too speaks to us in great volume through her many languages and dialects. Volunteering takes through mountains and rivers, causing a mystical change in our spirit. We learn to be grateful for all we have, and we realize how important our responsibilities towards and with volunteering are as children of Mother Earth.
“What is the essence of life? To serve others and do good.”
-Aristotle
One of the major lessons we learn through the selfless act of volunteering is the value of taking on responsibilities. There are many ways in which you can volunteer. The majority begins their journey of volunteering with a small step such as participating in a beach clean-up, a blood donation camp, a donation drive or giving some food for some street animals. Through taking smalls steps like this, they come to understand the true nature of the world. They start to understand that life’s not fair, some things that we take for granted are actually a huge privilege for others, that misfortune can come at any moment and take away even our very own heart, soul and mind, and many other harsh realities of the world, which are otherwise not quite as transparent to those living normal lives. These bitter truths makes a person understand how important volunteering is, and why it is their responsibility, as a loved child of Mother Earth, to take care and aid those who have not received as much care or love, or have just faced some bad luck. Thus, we learn how to value of taking on the responsibility of volunteering.
Usually, people take small steps at the start of their volunteering journey, and as they progress, with the knowledge, experience, skill and self-confidence they have gained up to that point, gradually begin to take larger steps and quicken their pace. After learning and understanding that it is our responsibility to care for our fellow humans and surrounding nature, people then begin to learn how to handle and fulfil that responsibility. They begin to learn about the ways they could contribute at a much larger scale. They start their own investigations into the prevailing issues within their community and their country, they start to learn about the SDGs and the multitude of organizations around them with similar goals as them. They search through social media and connections to find likeminded individuals and form their own groups. Together they plan their own initiatives or projects, or join any organization of their liking to take the next step in their journey of volunteering to start contributing on a much bigger scale. As time passes and their journey progresses, they start to organize more effective and larger projects, allowing more people to feel that self-satisfaction and take the first steps into their own volunteering journey’s.
The journey of volunteering is one with no end. There will always be people who need support, animals in need of care and nature in need of saving. As the travellers go further and further into their path, they begin to realize that the journey of volunteering is not something that they can undertake alone, and that having companions to share all the burdens and joys of this journey will make it much more sweeter and memorable. They cherish their responsibilities, and they wish to pass the joy they feel from upholding these responsibilities to the next generation. So, these experienced travellers start creating rest-stops, maps and clearer paths for those coming after them. They move on from organizing initiatives into creating opportunities for other volunteers to start their own projects. Having accumulated so much knowledge and experience, they seek to pass it on to the coming generations in hopes of keeping the spirit of volunteering alive, and in hopes that the coming generations will also cherish their responsibilities as they did.
Responsibility in volunteering, first we learn, next we fulfil and then we cherish. First, we participate and learn the joy of volunteering, and why it is our responsibility to do so. Next, we start our own initiatives and projects, and we learn and fulfil our responsibilities to the best of our abilities. Finally, we create opportunities for others to volunteer, so like us, they too can learn to cherish their responsibilities. Likewise, we can see the behaviour of responsibility in volunteering, and how it illuminates life.
Penned by
Rtr. Savinu Ninduvara
Rotaract Club of SLIIT
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