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Caring: Little Things, Big Impact?
If you think that you and your caring are too small to make a difference in this turbulent world, then you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito (African Proverb).
People are not always on their best behavior when they are as stressed as so many are now. From an earlier post on Rudeness:
Georgetown University’s Christine Porath reported in November 2022 that 70% of their 2000 participants witnessed rude behavior 2-3 times/month, up from 62% in 2016 and nearly 50% in 2005; and that 73% of participants found rude behavior “not unusual,” up from 61% in 2012.
Post pandemic effects (that most people are denying) are a factor in all of this crankiness, surely compounded by everything else that is going on here and around the world.
Still, there are many small things anyone can do to feel and show more caring. So, what can we do? Can we smile more? Can we put our phones down?
Can we watch our tone when we talk with others, which matters at least as much as our actual words? Although the words matter so much too: True, Kind, Necessary, Beneficial, as the Buddhists have said.
And when we mess up, can we apologize to show our caring? That’s civilized too. If everyone did a little something, it could pile up and matter a lot.
Now, for the bigger things. And here I want to talk about volunteering and service.
Caring: Bigger Things, Bigger Impact?
I am an especially huge fan of volunteering and otherwise lending a hand where and when I can. For sure, it makes me feel good, but I think it’s deeper than that.
Possibly, I stumbled upon it when I was studying Advaita Vedanta, which I took up at a critical time in my life to help me figure out what happened.
My approach was intellectual but they decided to heal my soul. Service, quiet, no-talk service, like painting the woodwork in the school, was a major feature of the experience.
It is also likely that prevailing over a deadly illness made me want to express my gratitude for the gift of my life, (and my arm, which they let me keep instead of taking it off.)
But even good-natured people might shy away from volunteerism for all sorts of reasons:
- Time Constraints: Busy lives, work, family personal commitments
- Lack of Awareness: Unaware of volunteer opportunities or how to find them
- Uncertainty of Impact: Will this caring truly make a difference
- Burnout Risk: Too much of a good thing can cause personal wear and tear
- Financial Constraints: Financial concerns can take priority (work, transportation costs)
- Personal Boundaries: Physical limitations or emotional sensitivities
- Lack of Support: People may feel less motivated without adequate support
So, not everyone is into volunteering to show they care. But a lot of people are. Here are some statistics, beginning with the good news that the majority of people are volunteering:
- 54% of people donated their time over the past year, and broken down by age…
- 2% Silent Generation (ages 79-86)
- 28% Boomers (ages 60-78)
- 26% Gen X (ages 44-59)
- 36% Millennials (28-43)
- 8% Gen Z (12-27)
Now, let’s examine some of the benefits of volunteering to illuminate the numbers above.
The Benefits of Volunteering
A BioLife poll found that 66% of people volunteered to make a positive impact and that 45% did so for moral and ethical reasons.
But research strongly affirms the benefits of volunteering to the volunteers themselves.
For example, for Millennials especially, the Center for Economic and Policy Research found that people who volunteer have better jobs and wages.
Participants in the BioLife who volunteered experienced:
- Increased sense of purpose (45% of people)
- Increased happiness (36%)
- Improved mental wellbeing (26%)
- Greater self-esteem and self-confidence (20%)
- Reduced stress (11%)
- A good way to make friends (31%)
Who at any age wouldn’t want more of all of that?
Now to be clear, I do not say yes to every caring opportunity that comes my way.
For me, it has to be both purpose-filled and not interfere with other purpose-filled activities to which I have already committed. Purpose may be defined as “an abiding intention to achieve a long-term goal that is both personally meaningful and makes a positive mark on the world.”
Unfortunately, only about 25% of American adults say they know their purpose or what makes life meaningful for them, which is too bad given the health and financial benefits of purpose-filled living.
And what better way to find out what does it for you than to explore a variety of volunteer opportunities and other ways to show you care?
Consider mentoring area youth (try DCTMI if you are in DC) or volunteering with the elderly. And if you are having trouble finding opportunities, you can ask family and friends, inquire with local organizations, and check out this terrific site, Volunteer Match.
Happy World Caring Day!
With love,
Madelaine
Photo from worldofproverbs.com
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