The notion of volunteerism, for some, evokes a wistful if antiquated memory of
do-gooders in woolen cloaks wiping the brows of injured soldiers on the battlefield.
For others, it’s a vibrant image of Peace Corps volunteers fanning out across the
globe during the Kennedy administration. For others still, volunteerism represents
the best of contemporary society, citizens engaged in unremunerated activities to
meet the needs of fellow citizens where government programs fall short.
Volunteerism in America:
Retro or Active?
TEXT: KIM LARSON
The fact is, it’s all of that and
a lot more. A recent posting
on Facebook, for example,
activated a swarm of volunteers
across the US where a
third of the National Park service sites
remain closed. The government, mired
in a partial shutdown due to a political
stalemate over a wall on the southern
border of the country, has frozen funding
and parks have suffered significantly
from illegal off-road vehicles to tree
damage and trash accumulation. To
the rescue, a squadron of active citizens
volunteering their time to act as watchdogs
and maintenance crews. Some have
labeled this Volunteer Love.
The American tradition
of philanthropy
Let’s back up for a moment to reflect
on the roots and origins of such altruism.
Aesop is quoted as saying “No act of
kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted”.
Likewise, Aristotle from an earlier
era, states “What is the essence of life? To
serve others and to do good”.
In modern day lingo, many call it
“paying it forward”, the idea of “giving
back”. Volunteers bring the human
touch, the glue, some say, that holds it
all together. And one of the Founding Fathers
of America, Thomas Jefferson inspired
others with the promise “May I
never get too busy in my own affairs that I
fail to respond to the needs of others”.
At the time of Thomas Jefferson and
the beginning of the new democracy,
later in the 18th century on the heels
of the Revolutionary War, Americans
began to be preoccupied with the ideas
of self-improvement and their “duty to
stay well-informed”. Intellectuals such
as Noah Webster, author of English language
and grammar books, traveled far
and wide giving lectures on scientific
discoveries and cultural trends spurring
the imaginations of citizens of this
nascent nation to look beyond and think
more broadly than only unto themselves.
After all, the escape from European
feudalism was still within the recesses
of collective memories and one can only
imagine the stark comparisons reflected
upon: freedom of individualism along
with it, the opportunities and perils vs.
the self-contained patriarchal unit of
oversight.
Some argue this paradigm gave rise
to the American tradition of philanthropy,
which is a phenomenon far bigger
than in Europe. In certain circles, this is
also viewed as a tenet of volunteerism
as ones financial assets are at work in
the service of others’ well-being, doing
something for the community. Volunteerism,
if stretched, can include NGO’s,
for their mission-driven agendas and
non-profit status.
The internet in general has provided
an added impetus for volunteerism
and activism as citizens are afforded
opportunities to see real need in real
time, almost as witnesses to a rapidly
changing world of connectivity. At a
dizzying rate of speed, societal need as
well as societal excesses are called into
question, cause for public review, rebuke
or debate. The internet has been
called the Great Equalizer, for better or
for worse, as self-indulgences are often
scorned while altruism is rewarded.
To look, to care, to act
Recently the global debate on responsibilities
regarding immigration has highlighted
the issues of poverty and shunted
opportunities, dictators and rogue governments,
clear causes fomenting unrest
and fear resulting in citizens seeking
safer ground.
The Peace Corps volunteers, a program
began under President John F.
Kennedy in the early 1950’s, aimed to
help those countries in need by sending
armies of young volunteers to teach
English, help farmers in rural and attack
poverty in urban areas through
community development activities. The
intractable persistence of these same
problems has led some to wonder if the
capitalist system itself has yet to evolve
in such a way to stem inequities rather
than perpetuate the problems.
In America, some of the biggest volunteer
organizations have boards of directors
who, while very generous in their
giving, often make a profession in un-
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