Volunteering, most commonly understood, refers to giving unpaid help to groups or clubs out of your own volition. I have no doubt that this sort of volunteering is important to building a community and maintaining a society. In fact, volunteers are necessary for maintaining a society; a study done by London Economics found that UK volunteers annually take on over £16bn of work, extra money that no one can afford to pay them for. Many lifesaving groups like lifeguards, firefighters and mountain rescue teams are volunteer-led, meaning tens of thousands of people simply wouldn’t be here without these people. Without the school governors volunteering their time, I’m sure we wouldn’t even be in this room in the first place.
But I would like to introduce you to another way I consider volunteering: volunteering as a way of life, a personality trait. The volunteer is the person who is willing to put the responsibility of something on to themself. When they come across a problem, that could be as simple as someone struggling with luggage at the airport, they are the ones that go “I’ll help”, rather than “Someone else will probably help”. They are the ones that can actually make a positive difference to a situation, and I think this is the mark of a great character.
We see this all the time in our relationships. A good friend is one who, when he realises his friend is stressed for time, takes it upon themselves to take some of their workload. We see this on the rugby field; a great leader sees a teammate missing a tackle and works back to cover it, rather than waiting for anyone else to. Ultimately, I think these people live the most fulfilling lives, in constant acts of service to those around them and closest to them.
It was Albert Einstein who once said, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile”, and I think he is right. And perhaps these people, like official volunteers, are also necessary for society, because what kind of society would we be if no one ever stepped in to help in moments we need it the most.
Cam
Senior Prefect