I came away from a meeting last night and was very upset.I guess I am still missing the point of volunteerism, of being part of a team, the expectations of the recipients of the time the volunteers give them. We live in a time where to help others means to give them money. It's easy, right, pick something you think might be a good cause, give your money and your home free. Hey, I can feel good about changing the world now I gave my five bucks to help. My problem is this, I don't know that my five bucks ever sees the true destination of the needy cause, and after getting two, three calls a day from needy causes I have become tired of the calls. I start to wonder if the money ever does any good. You give the five bucks this time and the next thing you know a few months later and guess who's on the other end of the phone again asking for more money? So I think to myself what if I give my time to help a needy cause. I am giving a service that I can feel good about, I can be the one that, so to speak, that the buck stops here. I think I am a part of a team of people who feel the need and have shouldered the responsibility . I can give my time, sweat equity , and I know that the need is being met with no money involved.
I know this way of thinking is not for everyone, I seen and felt it tonight. We still want something out of it. Sure I will sign up, but what will you give me back. Me? , well I want to feel useful, I want to have done something good, within my ability and be given, yes, a pat on the back,"wow look at that Sifu cleaning those sidewalks and in her condition" I crave to be a useful part of society and since I don't earn a dollar amount for what I do day to day I give the only way I can, my back, my sweat, and my compassion . I am not a great leader, I can't stand in front of a group of people and motivate them with words, hell I have trouble just getting my point across in everyday conversation, but I can show people by example,the problem is someone has to be watching.
I have come to the conclusion that I am a solider,give me a task that I can sink my teeth into and I'll do my best for you, but when it comes to organizing I think that would be better left to other people who think in those terms.
I hope this doesn't come across as a pity party, this is as good as it gets for me with words. If you want me to help give me an end result, if you want my money(what little of it I have personally) show me what your doing with it and how I can help,otherwise it feels like another hand out and I am jaded with that line of thought.
I am waiting to be enlightened, am trying to keep open minded, show me that way and I will do my best to lend you my back and hands.
Still in the dark,
Linda Shipalesky
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Sifu, I hear what you are saying and when it comes to throwing money at a problem. I am in complete agreement with you about mindless giving. However, if the money a person is donating to a cause comes from a mindful gesture then the donation is making a huge difference. If I see a cause that speaks to me and take a moment analyze it, understand it, relate to it, and believe in it, then any donation I make is coming from a mindful heart and I am not going to forget about the issue once the cheque is written. My personal perspective has been forever changed by the mindful process I followed in arriving at my decision to make the donation. If my personal perspective has now changed, has not the outside world also changed?
I have to disagree with you that you are a soldier, not a leader. The very definition of a soldier implies mindless action. Is this not what we expect of soldiers? Don’t think about what you are being asked to do, just do it without question and trust your leaders whose motives are behind the actions you are being ordered to do. It is this “soldier” approach that has allowed great evil to be perpetuated on this planet without significant resistance. Ethnic cleansing and religious extremism are just a couple of examples of the harm a mindless soldier approach can generate. You Sifu, are not a soldier. A leader does not just lead with words, but also leads through actions. Your very description of your approach to the Adopt-a-Driveway Project is that of a leader.
Leadership is about getting things done, not necessarily doing them yourself. Our Adopt-a-Driveway Project is a great example of how important that leadership perspective is. If everyone just takes a “do my job and my best” approach, the success of a project is less certain than if everyone saw their job as not just doing it but also motivating and inspiring others to also do it. You then have a group of people all pulling in the same direction and generating motivation and leadership for each other rather than each individual having to go it alone.
Our volunteer actions are not very different than the money we donate. If our actions do not come from a place of mindfulness, our volunteerism can be reduced to a responsibility based upon guilt. Motivation is not sustainable with this unmindful approach. Resentment builds up when your actions do not seem to be recognized and when others on your team do not seem to be pulling their own weight. Such is the destiny of unmindful thoughts and unmindful actions. They generate disharmony and conflict.
The key to staying positive is to approach everything you do with mindful thoughts and mindful actions. Recognize the benefit you get from performing an act of kindness and you will be more likely to make acts of kindness an important ritual of each day. Leading is all about passion. If you truly believe in what you are doing and what needs to be done, others will be inspired to follow you and trust in your leadership. Using our Adopt-a-Driveway Project as an example again, if we get others to mindfully recognize the personal benefit they receive from participating in the project, we will either have less people volunteering or better participation from the people who have already volunteered. Either result will benefit the seniors who at the end of the day, the project is all about.
Post a Comment