Power of Volunteering

You will always have one power, the power of volunteering.

When the second wave of Covid-19 hit India, we lost the one important element to live on a daily basis i.e. an element of hope. There was no escape from it irrespective of where you come from. The lives were such that a student couldn’t complete his/her assignment, employees lost interest in the office, the conversation became more distressed, Netflix & chill didn’t work, and many other distress moments. When all doors get closed, a door is always open. Here, that door was a door of volunteering.

Everyone who came forward to volunteer during the second wave was hit by tragic news or moments, and they wanted to channelize their anger in the right direction. Even, I was among the one. Seeing what’s happening around me, I couldn’t sleep with peace and decide to do my bit. The journey started from helping my own network to co-creating the network of volunteers with a friend. In a week into it, we became family to each other. Our hearts used to fill with anxiety if we aren’t able to reach out to a volunteer within 12 hours. The mornings started with their messages and the nights were open-ended with handling cases, stress-free calls or just being there with each other. It has been an overwhelming experience which I will always keep close to my heart.

The following are my understanding of volunteering from my personal experience:

1. The journey is never smooth. One must have seen the extreme side of pain or happiness, but it’s important to move on immediately. It’s not a fancy ride, but this ride will give you numerous emotions and moments.
2. The art of letting go works like magic here. During covid, we had ‘x’ number of data to verify leads. So it becomes very important to let go of any lead that isn’t working and find another one. The faster you master this art, the closer you will be to the goal.
3. In times of distress, you may not be able to help everyone but there are many you help through your work. The amount of satisfaction one gets after helping the needy cannot be expressed in words. Don’t take the failure personally and don’t be extremely proud of the success either. Keeping emotions moderate makes the journey more productive.
4. It’s never about the reward or external validation in volunteering, it’s all about inner satisfaction and peace. One place where you don’t seek work for promotion, salary, or fame; it’s only for giving back to society in whatever way you could.
5. Connect with like-minded people. If your goal aligns with your work close to a hundred percent, then you will see the similar kind of people in the community. You will connect with each other due to the same values and morals, which can lead to long-term friendship. A little friendship never harms anyone.
6. The joy of living doesn’t lie in receiving, it always lies in giving. The amount of effort one puts to see that one smile, one sapling dancing in the rain, or anything that contributes to the larger pictures will fill you with an abundance of hope, love, and care.

I have been volunteering for the last five years in different forms, goals, and communities but the joy of giving never got fade away with time. I saw someone giving back to society, I got inspired by it and decided to take that one step. Today, I’m glad that I did take that step and have been taking many since then. My sincere thanks go to everyone who has volunteered at any point in their life to make this society a little better than before.

Lending yourself for social good seems like a wonderful way to see the world.