The rate of change is terrifying. My generation has probably seen more of it than they’d bargained for, more history than they ever imagined they’d be a part of. The birth and collapse of international terrorist outfits, the end of the 30-year long civil war that we found ourselves born into, the wrath of countless natural disasters that brought the most powerful nations to their knees, the crescendo of technology, the boom of social media, a fairy tale royal wedding, the death of villains and visionaries and the onset of adulthood has left us all reeling, spinning in a world that’s changing so fast we can barely keep up with it.
This is all well and good; change in our growing society is inevitable. But, as well as the multitudes that do get swept along with this wave, there are always the few who are left behind. I am blessed to have been born into the life I lead and all my friends should feel the same – we got it good.
From the best education at leading local and international schools to parents who gave us everything we needed, we really can’t complain. Born in ’92, we found ourselves merely spectators to the ethnic conflict in our country that countless other children found themselves victims of, losing everything from limbs to parents. For this, I am grateful and it is for this very reason that we have a duty to give back to the society that we will lead into the future.
People talk about changing the world with technology and science but what they don’t realize is that science isn’t going to put a smile on a child’s face or hold his hand when he feels scared. Twitter will tell you about the hurricane in another continent a minute after it has happened but it won’t alert you when a child cries out in hunger. There are no notifications when someone is feeling lonely and all they want is a hand to hold.
In the time that I’ve volunteered, I’ve learned that the world can change at the speed of light around you but there’s only one thing with the power to make a difference – love. It’s the simple joys that really make the difference, old ladies peering at you most intrigued and inquiring why you have so many piercings in your ears, little kids who wrap their tiny fingers around one of yours or run to embrace you around the middle, that’s the kind of happiness that really matters.
I’ve been asked why I give so much time to the causes that I support and I can’t really put down in words that sense of fulfillment and satisfaction I feel knowing that I’ve helped make someone’s day that much brighter. Volunteering will add more value to your life than any possible material good can. At the end of the day, it’s not what you have and the time you’ve got but what you choose to do with them that matters. The only force that can change the world is love and love never fails.
Let the scientists strike gold in their laboratory experiments, let the politicians call for freedom and let the musicians call for dancing. When it all goes quiet, it’s the voice of the needy that whispers through and the answer of the person who’s listening for them that will tell you who is really going to change the world.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
(This column was written by a STITCH volunteer. To learn more visit - www.stitchmovement.com) |
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