I read an essay written by Bono, lead singer of U2, yesterday afternoon. His words comforted me. Lately, many people (i.e., students, community members, potential volunteers) have been asking me the same question: "What's in it for me?"
Don't get me wrong: It's a fair question to ask. And to be sure, participating in a community event is a great opportunity for professional and personal growth.
But Bono's words capture the heart of this project. As Bono put it, "Our humanity is diminished when we have no mission bigger than ourselves. [...] We discover who we are in service to one another, not the self."
So, I'd like to thank Bono for his insightful words. If you're interested in reading Bono's essay, click here.
When the Antarctic Ice Sheet melts . .
1 week ago
2 comments:
Michelle, As I mentioned to you before, I am doing a speech tomorrow for my public speaking class on encouraging students to volunteer. So I have been thinking a lot about this question because the students who hear my speech are asking themselves what's in it for them. So thanks for sharing this article. I found it to be really inspirational!
Kim,
Thanks for reminding me about your speech tomorrow--I'm confident that you'll do a great job speaking about the importance of volunteering.
I'm also glad to hear that I'm not the only one who's been bombarded by that question!
If you get any insights from tomorrow's speech, I'd love to hear them. Good luck!
:0) M
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