I have been thinking that even as President, I get more than I could possibly give from volunteering at Aware. Sure, the hours are crazier (just check the time I am writing this), the work load far heavier, but the experience, knowledge, street smarts, friendship and satisfaction I get in return far outweigh what I have given. By a long long shot.
It has always been this way, at Raleigh Society too where I went on several expeditions, in Aware as a rookie Exco member and now as President... And I'm not the only one who feels this way. Quite a number of people have said this about their volunteering experience too. Civil society is generally a great place to learn, just about anything. Where else would you be able to organise an event for 200 persons, write a position paper to submit to the government, attend a focus group discussion to state your views, write letters to the press, be interviewed on TV, give three speeches to the public, boogie like a woman possessed with your soul sisters, give out leaflets in the street, write an essay to go into a book, attend a lunch time talk for free at the Four Seasons Hotel (lunch provided), and have warm and meaningful conversations with your "colleagues", all in the space of one month?
So, are we being altruistic? Only in the sense that we gave before we knew we would get so much more in return. Will we ever be able to give more than we receive?
Perhaps if I ever come back to serve another term as President. But I doubt it.
2 comments:
I recently was at a talk by Stephen G. Post titled, "Why It's Good to be Good". He repeated the remark that people often say, that there is no real altruism because doing good makes you feel good.
His answer? We need much more of that kind of selfishness!
Thanks for visiting my blog and posting a comment. (You do not seem to have an email address either! There is a way to get to mine, but one has to hunt.)
I added your blog to my list of links, as I like what you have to say.
Peace.
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