The challenges and rewards of voluntary work
Our life is full of haste, stress, constant race for money, power and social status. We succumb to peer pressure and the spirit of life, are so preoccupied with our own needs and material well-being that we can hardly find time for something else. But there comes a moment when people realize that they cannot succumb to some base instincts only, that they are also spiritual creatures and it is in their power to help others, to make a difference in the world and with their love and care to make smb’s life at least a little bit happier. When people contribute their time, efforts and talents to change the life of those in need, they do what is called voluntary work.
Voluntary work, the things we put our hearts into without asking for reward, is a priceless asset to any country. The tradition of unpaid work was started long ago: in books we read about women nursing wounded or housebound people or organising charity fairs.
There are different reasons why people become volunteers. Most of them say it is very rewarding to help others. It is a great pleasure for them to know that they are bringing a little bit of happiness into someone’s life or are putting something back into the community.
They join environmental movements, police forces, take part in rescuing operations, nurse elderly or housebound people, visit asylum-seekers held in detention, organise seminars on various social issues, such as racial discrimination, sexual harassment, drugs, employment etc.
These people’s eagerness to help is an inward feeling, which is no doubt priceless; they enjoy the work they do and involvement in something that is important both to them and to the society brings immense inner satisfaction.
Volunteering is also a great way to develop new skills, and to put into practice those already existing. One can gain communication, organizational, problem-solving skills, to develop leadership and teamwork skills which will be of great benefit in any future job.
A lot of young people volunteer, because it is a wonderful opportunity to see the world, to explore avenues that would not usually be open to them. This experience enables an exchange of cultural and social contact between people from different countries; it allows them to make new friends, to learn new languages.
In short, voluntary work leads to personal and professional development, it improves one’s CV and boosts one’s job prospects.
But one should keep in mind, that voluntary work is also stressful and often harrowing. One needs to be psychologically ready for it, to be patient and strong enough to rise to all the challenges of the demanding conditions they find themselves in.
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When people do paid work, they are appraised. When one does voluntary work, it may be met with ingratitude. The sick or the disabled, one takes care of, may be irritable, capricious, childish, they can even hurt your feelings with some sharp words. So, it is very important to seek reward not in the explicit gratitude and praise, but in the importance of your deeds and nobility of your intensions.
The great dander is to think, “I’m only a volunteer, I’m not paid to do this so I cannot be expected to do it well”. It is totally wrong, because if you have taken the responsibility you should shoulder it.
What is more, some people talk about the changing culture of voluntary work. They are against large voluntary organizations. From their point of view, smaller organizations are closer to the ground, they know the real needs and often come up with innovative ideas on how to meet them.
It is definitely a disputable question, but the main thing is that voluntary work brings together like-minded people, who unite to combat serious social problems, to provide help to those in need, to share their love and care.
Moral values of society you live in.
To start with it’s necessary to mention that human spirit longs for liberation, not just economic or political but also for inner liberation from the down-drag of base instincts: hate, bitterness, greed and lust which all too easily enslave us.
People long to be themselves, to have a sense of worth and purpose in life, to be able to contribute of their time and talent. It requires recognition that we are first and foremost spiritual beings in the age of information overload. Nowadays social values are deeply changed in comparison with those our parents possessed. Our motives are hardly guided today by moral standards of honesty, purity, selflessness and love for others. In my opinion people are starting to lose the wellsprings of wisdom and insight, therefore they urgently need the advice of trustworthy friend instead of succumbing to peer pressure and the spirit of age.
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If we compare present values of the pluralistic society with Victorian ones, we can clearly notice that in those times much attention was paid to self-reliance and self-respect. People worked hard to improve themselves, they lived within their income, they gave a hand to each their neighbors and were good members of their community. Nowadays thanks to the development of voluntary work one can observe a tremendous improvement in the society but sometimes even simple moral principles like” love the neighbor as thyself” can be forgotten. The me first philosophy prevails instead, which justifies all actions in terms of self-interest, rather than the common good. The old authorities-parents, school, church, government have declined its influence. Now the following approach exists among young people ‘No one else has the right to decide by which values I run my life’. Rebellion usually follows. Today’s unwilling bible infant is tomorrow’s drug dealer. Amusingly but a liberal, laissez-fair approach to moral upbringing sometimes produces rebellion of a different kind. No doubt people need moral rearmament and should preserve moral values if they don’t want to turn into savage animals and be left to their own devices.
Anyway everything should start with the family itself. People need to prevent the family from breakdown and a moral education should strive to bring out the good and ’redirect’ the evil. I think that moral values are more successfully imparted by example than dictat. The most important thing for a parent to do is to love their child. Love breeds love and love lies in the basis of morality. If passing on moral values becomes an issue for all the families, we may get rid of a lot of antagonism and angst involved.
Reasons: sexual revolution of the 1960 and the contraceptive pill opened the floodgates of promiscuity.skjueti
Now observe: battery, rape and murder, massacre of children, child-abuse and drug-related deaths, fraud, divorces, overcrowded prisons, civic disorder, increasing violence, steady erosion of racial, sexual, class prejudices.
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Result: morality was privatized; one could do whatever wanted as long as didn’t harm anyone else.
Individualism that had won the battle over collectivism seriously damaged social cohesion.
Moral rearmament started in 1920-s, it was first called the Oxford Group; the main idea was to call for a moral, spiritual rearmament.
1938- The organization was renamed to moral rearmament (countries should improve morality to unleash wars)
2001-the name of the movement was changed, now they were called initiatives of change, they aim-healing the wounds of history where countries and civilizations live, strengthening moral and spiritual foundation of democracy, encouraging care, responsibility in family and life, cultural relationships, tackling the root causes of poverty, corruption.
Practical activities: before 1930-simply preaching
1935-helped to set up an organization “Alcoholics anonyms”
1946-opened an international conference centre in Switzerland
1947-did a lot to reconcile the nations that participated in the war, stabilized situation in Europe
1949-held several conferences, contributed to the national development in the post-war years (Japan), helped to achieve independence to African countries
1950-established centers
1965-organized a branch of the movement that later developed into a global educational program.
The President-the formal President of International Red Cross Cornelia Samaruga Gandhi
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