Today, I made a transformation. This was a metamorphosis, not as grand as that of a butterfly or as profound as a religious rebirth, but it was nonetheless a transformation that changed my way of thinking, at least for now.
In my high school, there is constantly pressure to act charitably and responsibly. The number of student-organized clubs devoted solely to charity is very impressive, yet equally overwhelming. Most students are active in more than one club, but many do it merely to embellish their resumes in hopes of being accepted into the most prestigious of colleges. I’m going to be frank when I say that I, too, have been an active member of various clubs, primarily in hopes of being considered a globally responsible adult. For three years, I’ve acted in groups geared toward human rights, environmental stewardship, and social tolerance, but not once have I ever felt that I’ve made a big difference in the community.
I wasn’t satisfied.
For a while I assumed this was merely because I felt inadequate, as though I had not done enough to make the world a better place, and to a certain extent this was a valid thought. However, it was not at all in the way I expected. It wasn’t until today that I really realized why I wasn’t satisfied.
Today, the student council handed out free Otter Pops as a way to celebrate the end of the school year. Naturally, the floors of the locker-room were covered in multi-colored sugar water and quickly became sticky sticky. So, a friend of mine and I grabbed two mops and cleaned it up. As we cleaned, I noticed others joining in. Within five minutes, a group of 8 of us mopped up all the mess. It wasn’t particularly spectacular, and we didn’t get any recognition, but we all knew we saved the janitors some precious cleaning time, and that we did a good job.
Five minutes later, I helped the band teacher move instruments and a cart full of chairs. Any person walking past would (should) have done the same, but no one had stepped up. Again, it was not anything spectacular.
My point is this (yes, there’s a point).
In our current world, we are so preoccupied with moving ahead and achieving great things around the world that we often forget to look at what’s around us. It’s great that we all love to make the world a better place with large humanitarian efforts and ecological projects, but we need to remember that in our efforts to improve our lives, our own communities are the place to start.
I realized that today, and the twenty minutes I spent mopping the floor and putting chairs away may have been the most eye-opening and satisfying experience in regards to service. I guess my message isn’t anything magnificent and profound, but we often forget to look around ourselves and attempt to make our own lives better by helping out whenever we can.
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