Building a Spirit of Service in Today’s World


To have a spirit of service in a competitive and opportunistic world is rare. We are continuously taught to build a skill set that is marketable, profitable, sellable, and expendable. In other words, who we are and the skills we hone, are mostly spent on making a living and furthering our best interests.

So, why should we consider volunteering our hard-earned abilities to causes that we can barely leave a dent in to make a difference?

Well, let’s try to put things into perspective first.

Presently, we have a humongous pile of concerns stemming from environmental, cultural, political, and social areas. There are NGOs and governmental organizations working to alleviate these issues. But, the needs of the many always seem to outnumber the finances. By alleviating increasing causes with volunteer work, not only are we helping create a better world, but also becoming more tolerant towards the global community.

Why does the world need volunteers?

We are all social beings. Each of us survives because of assistance—direct or indirect—from another. If we’ve been fortunate enough to have received the simplest, and sometimes the complicated, pleasures of life, it only makes sense to give the same kind of thing back to the community. What makes certain people privileged enough to enjoy the basics over the others?

Not everything in this world can be measured in monetary value. As part of a global society that depends on cooperation and harmony among its members, it should be our very basic instinct to aid whoever we can, whenever we can, with no expectations in return.

Why Volunteer?

Assist the Lives of the Unfortunate

volunteer work - assist others

Not all of us are privileged enough to have to the basic necessities to make a living. People who are subject to inequality need to be given a chance to build their status quo with different opportunities. Sure, that puts the onus on them. But as the fortunate ones, we must lend a hand to aid in that transition. By bettering the lives of those around us, we can be sure to build an environment that enables the development of those who are less fortunate.

Helping Perpetuate Awareness

The root cause of several persisting problems is because there is a lack of its awareness. Most people suffer from conditions that may be environmental, medical, or cultural because they are unaware of their options and solutions. By volunteering to a cause we can build an awareness among people who lead their lives without knowing that there are ways to alleviate them.

volunteer work - teach others, spread awareness

Conversely, the impact that volunteering makes in terms of spreading an awareness is among the more fortunate who can contribute to alleviating these problems in their own capacities. Spreading awareness is perhaps a huge enabler to help philanthropists and charities further their causes. Volunteers working with such causes are helping in building an awareness merely by being involved.

Building a Community

volunteer work - build a global community

We’re all taught to build our careers, families and our lives with individualistic benefits. And yet, we’re all hard-wired to further our communities and by extension further ourselves. Volunteering helps expedite this idea of a community coming together to fix what’s broken. Besides, volunteering at a community level can build positive social interactions and build a certain consensus that furthers awareness to causes.

Aiding Personal Growth

Volunteer Work- personal growth

Volunteer work can expand an individual’s grasp of the world and people in it. Not only does it provide perspective but it can provide you with a deep sense of gratitude and enable you with better service skills. Becoming a volunteer can help supplant existing routines and with more meaningful ones, and it can shatter your comfort zone. Volunteering, in a holistic sense, can help us better ourselves by becoming better people.

Opening Up Career Options

Volunteer work- career option

Volunteering can help open up several career options in the NGO and NPO sector. Not all of us can afford to invest our time and money in getting a social work degree. But volunteering can provide you with a window of opportunity to build your skills in a certain area of need.

Volunteering is not only about cleaning roads or digging trails

No matter how many people believe so, volunteering is not only social work. You are not limited to the social aspect of volunteering. You can build your existing skill set to propagate causes to build awareness. If you are a writer, for instance, you can assist an organization by writing for their blog. You can use your contacts to provide a cause with a platform. You can help them develop their initiative with your management skills.

By volunteering, you can expand your career opportunities. You can build a better portfolio and a meaningful life.


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