The ancient philosopher, Aristotle, once said,
“What is the essence of life? To serve others and to do good.” And, the ancient
prophet, Isaiah said, “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your
light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as
bright as noon.” (Isaiah 58:10)
That
is why we volunteer, isn’t it? To do good. To push back the darkness of this
world in order to make it a little better. To get out beyond the self and gain
broader perspective and deeper understanding.
I want
people to know that volunteering is good for you. Volunteering is an activity
that someone chooses to do without being paid. It can be formal or informal.
Informal volunteering includes helping friends and family with things like
babysitting, home repairs or caring for someone who is recovering from illness
or injury. Formal volunteering usually takes place through a charity or other
not-for-profit or community organization. Volunteering makes an immeasurable
difference in the lives of others. But did you know how much you help yourself
by giving back? From lowering stress to boosting self-confidence, volunteering
offers many health benefits. I Googled it, and I found that there are over 19
million articles on how doing good helps people lead better, healthier lives.
Here are a few of the benefits enumerated in several of the articles I found:
1.
Volunteering with and
for others increases social interaction and helps build a support system based
on common commitment and interests—both of which have been shown to decrease
depression.
2.
Volunteering gives you
a sense of purpose and fulfillment, and increases your self-confidence while
you’re at it!
3.
Volunteering helps you
stay physically and mentally active. A study released by Johns Hopkins University in 2009
revealed that volunteers actually increased their brain functioning. Volunteer
activities get you moving and thinking at the same time.
4.
Volunteering will reduce
stress levels. By savoring your time spent in service to others, you’ll feel a
sense of meaning and appreciation—both given and received—which can be calming.
5.
When you volunteer,
you experience “The Happiness Effect.” You know that feel-good sense you get
after a vigorous workout? It comes from a release of dopamine in the brain.
Helping others has that exact same effect—so the more you volunteer, the
happier you become!
6.
Volunteering can open
up opportunities to go abroad, as many organizations and programs put on “voluntourism” trips across the globe. Traveling
spurs physical activity and mental planning while providing you different
perspectives—literally and figuratively—on life.
Therefore,
get on the Volunteerism train. It will do you and the world around you a lot of
good. Someone once said, “Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy.
You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day
about the kind of community you want to live in.” I don’t know about y’all, but
I vote for community filled with selfless servants.
