On a random Saturday afternoon, if you head down to the Orchard MRT station, who will you most likely to meet? Yap, it’s the annoying FLAG day!!
Most of us would have been bombared by at least 10 of them in our lifetime, and some of us were even one of them. I was a regular flag day participant when I was in junior college, and it appeared that every Saturday..... is a flag day!
What is volunteerism? According to our textbook, volunteerism refers to helping behaviour shown voluntary to a worthwhile cause of organisation. And what could be some of the reasons why many people are willing give up their personal time for the welfare of others?
It is part of singapore education system that students have to fufill up to 80 hours of community work. And this was why I went begging on the streets every weekend! Perhaps not all, but some of us voluntered because we have no choice. Besides volunterring in flag days, we collected newspaper, helped in old folk home and also children society.
Others volunteered because they really want to help those in need, which is also known as altruism. Many studies has raised an eyebrow for the existence of pure altruism. Can anybody do something for someone and ask for totally no return? Say... even a thanks?
Theres also a group of people who do it for fame. Celebrities who visits the old folk home under the camera really makes me wonder if they are really "kind". Also, the charity shows done yearly by famous celebrities were rising in number until the NKF issue. In addition, the high profile disasters (e.g. Katerina, Tsunami) had many volunteers to get off their working seat and set off to help. Do they just truly want to help? Or, perhaps they just wanted to be a part of it?
Keeping the skepticism aside, some claim to participate in volunteer work because they want to understand more about the issue. I'm volunterring in one of the organisation on my own freewill and to understand more about the issues is one of my main reason to join this organisation. Also, I wanted to challenge myself and test my skills learned from the textbook. This reason is selfishly for my personal development.
One of the motivation factors that sound pretty ironic and yet true, is that volunterring makes one feel needed and this enhances their esteem. Helping can also make us feel "kinder" and feel good about ourselves. When we help the children in children homes for example, it does somehow make us felt blessed and also more useful. I think volunterring can be useful for old folk after retirement. This can allow them to spend their free time and also make them feel useful and needed again. Help others and help ourselves! Good deal!
There are many different motivating factors for different people and for whatever the factors are, as long as all party benefits, it can be a really good thing! There will always be people who requires help and it will be great if theres also a constant supply of people who are willing to help. Although I do not agree with the 80 hrs community involvement programme by the MOE, it does allow me to take time away from the awful school work and feel the value in studying and in myself. All in all, despite the various motives, volunteerism should be still encouraged!
3 comments:
Religion that is pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
I believe the first part relates to outward observable deeds (you're not credited as kind and helpful just by staring at orphans), and the latter relates to the motive of actions. To those who display their helping behavior loudly, their reward is their fame, to those who seek for self-motives their reward is in their own, to those with true altruism, their reward no one can steal.
wanxin, may your volunteerism evolve into altruism.
What you said is so true. The compulsory 'volunteery' work that all of us are forced to participate in while in school totally defeats the purpose of the program. School children usually are not very aware about the causes they are asking donations for. In the end, the flag day and other charity work becomes an obligation that must be fulfilled to meet the criteria for school and that is not good.
Volunteerism should not be coerced. It should be taught to children on the benefits of volunteerism. I am against the idea that schools in a way coerced their students to participate in 'Flag" days to gain CCA points. It has to come within the individuals as to make a significant impact in their lives later on.
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