The meaning of volunteering is different for everybody. To some the term is meaningless and for others its significance is never strong enough. For me, volunteering equates to love.
As a child I grew up observing. I watched quietly in corners while the world danced around me with its eloquent mystery. I witnessed beautiful moments and terrible moments. I felt everything. Time led me into different philosophies, from Sartre to Neitchze to Krishnamurti. None however, at least for me, were able to communicate properly the philosophy of love.
Volunteering is an act of kindness. It is something one does out of pure selflessness. Different events in my life, both observed and enacted have provided a clear path to the desire to spread goodness. From perceivable tragedies I found opportunity for change. From acting out of complete unselfish reasons, I found an occasion for connection and growth. From lending my ear to a friend in need to giving my shirt to one that had none, I found mutual understanding.
I decided at a young age that my choices in life would be through a filter of service. At times I have not lived up to this personal ideal, but from those faults I have learned and pushed further toward it. In college I volunteered at a hospital and worked closely with an elderly woman by the name of Captain Jane. A hardlined, good hearted woman Captain Jane's life experience was tragic and lovely.
The most valuable lesson she taught was through love comes transformation; and from forgiveness comes hope.
The ability to make a difference through volunteering is within every one of us. Giving is one of the strongest components of volunteering and one of the best ways, in my opinion, to live life. I volunteer my time with STITCH in order to allow for the possibility of a better world. Emphasis is too often on the side of money and greed and too little on that of personal connection. As we walk onward on our separate paths this new year, let us look within ourselves and ask what volunteering means to us.
In order to find out how STITCH hopes to make a difference with volunteerism, please visit our website www.stitchmovement.com. |
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