Volunteers……….what would we do without them?
It’s been ’stinking hot’ in Victoria these past weeks and of course, those of you who live in hot, dry climates will know…………this means bushfire season!
Now I’m not complaining about the heat…..I love it!!! BUT as I watch the news on tele each night I can’t help but think, where would we be without all of the volunteer firefighters who keep us safe while our country burns?
Where I live in Victoria, Australia there have been three HUGE fires burning over the past two weeks and sadly two volunteer firefighters died in one of the blazes as did three people trying to escape the flames. People have lost their homes, their memories, their livelihoods………………but it would have been MUCH worse without the intervention of these volunteers who work 18 hour days, day after day during these fires. They are out there in 40 degree C + heat hour after hour trying to save peoples lives and their livlihoods. They are themselves supported by an army of other volunteers……….people who cook meals, provide transport, provide havens for those who have had to evacuate, donate goods and money and work as volunteer counsellors and support people. That’s a lot of people and a lot of service for no cost to the rest of us.
I then started to think about why people volunteer…………..why work long hours as a carer, a volunteer with the poor, a volunteer for refugee organisations, a church volunteer, a volunteer visitor to the elderly or the sick, a community or landcare volunteer, a volunteer life saver or beach patrol person, a volunteer fundraiser, a volunteer visitor to people in gaol, a volunteer youth leader or guide or scout leader, a disaster volunteer, a volunteer paramedic……………..the list goes on.
WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS FOR NO MONEY????? What do they get out of volunteering?
Ask a volunteer this question and the answer will always be the same…………it’s about service, about giving something back to your community, about belonging and celebrating what it means to be part of a town, a city, a country, a civilisation…….and there’s no better feeling than the one you get from helping someone who is in trouble, sad, sick, lonely or not as well off as yourself.
If you think of what it would cost in infastructure, labor costs, insurance etc. to provide all of these services, currently provided by volunteers………………the cost would be preculsive……………………and our communities would be far more insular, in fact they would not be communities (in the true sense of the word) at all!
So, if you have a hectic life where you seem to be consumed by making a living, you don’t quite know what your purpose is or you feel isolated or maybe if things are great in your life and you don’t quite know what your next challenge is going to be……….why not donate a few hours a week to a worthy cause. Think about volunteering and becoming a part of something greater than the mundane 9-5 wage slave who comes home and ‘plonks’ on the couch in front of the telly.
You don’t need to be an expert………..all you need is enthusiasm, compassion and a willingness to help out someone less fortunate than yourself………………and when you ‘get out there’ and look around, you’ll realise how very lucky you are.
When I was a kid and complaining about school or being hassled by the ‘cool kids’ or not having the latest fashion craze item yada yada yada……………my Dad used to say ” I used to complain because I had no shoes, until I saw the man who had no feet”………..it’s something I’ve never forgotten, and I tell you what……………when you get out in the world and look around, there’s a hell of a lot of people out there who “have no feet”!
So endith the lesson…………….oh and by the way, there’s no show this week, because I’ve been busy volunteering!