Living in a small community makes my life perception limited within my bubble. My people at home always measure a person based on their achievements, money, and appearance. All they want is to be ahead of everyone else to be worthy of respect. Growing up in this environment made me believe that life is all about what you gain as a person.
I still remember when my mother said, “no one will respect you if you’re poor or a failure.” My five-year-old mind took this as the only pillar of truth in life. Because of these words, I grew up competitive and inconsiderate with the people around me. I’d instead choose to have good grades over loyal friends! Since I want to make my records look attractive, I decided to join volunteer organisations in Singapore out of vanity. I only volunteered to make my school records more appealing for university entrance admissions, honestly speaking.
The Power of Volunteering
However, volunteering is an activity that unexpectedly changed my life perception. I joined to volunteer abroad for self-gain, but I returned as a more compassionate person. It opened my eyes to the world of injustices, inequality and the real struggles of life. To share with you my story, here’s how volunteering turned my cold and ruthless heart into a more empathetic one.
How Volunteering Changed My Life Perception
The truth is: we live in a world where we want to impress other people. As I signed in to my social media accounts, I saw my friends' posts going abroad, bragging about their achievements, showing selfies, etc. Not to say that all of them are just asking for attention, but unconsciously, the world we live in tells us to live by people's opinions.
Not being a hypocrite, though, I posted on my Instagram feed the day I went to the airport to volunteer abroad. I even use the hashtags #VolunteerChangesLife with the true intention of making my school record more attractive. Well, life is indeed full of twists and turns! Joining volunteer opportunities gave me a new lens in life. Here's why it happened:
1. Engaged in a New Community
As mentioned above, I live in a small community of wealthy and privileged people back in the country. It leaves me without experiencing the actual happenings of life. So, when I joined to volunteer abroad, there were many new scenarios in my mind.
There was no water in one of the villages we volunteered in at all! They needed to fetch water from the well or the nearby stream. In my mind, I wanted to go back right away! I felt disgusted to use water from an unknown source. Not until a child, seven years old, offered me to drink water.
I didn't know what to feel. The agitation inside me suddenly melted and forced me to smile. The look on the child's face is pure kindness and compassion! Despite their lack of water resources, the child from the village still offered me a drink. Half-heartedly, I drank the water, and the child suddenly ran away. The water may not be 100% clean, but it quenches the thirst of my heart for compassion.
2. Exposure to Real-Life Struggles
I didn't know that some of what I have is a privilege for other people; access to education, food on the table, clean water, my home, etc. I was unaware that the things I have are gold for someone else. As I joined volunteer opportunities in Singapore, I got to see the real-life struggles of the people. It made me thankful for all the things that my parents gave to me.
It broke my heart to remember the days when I failed to realise that I had enough. That I wanted more even if I had everything. Participating in volunteer organisations in Singapore opened me to the actual happenings in life, which are full of struggles because of inequality and privileges.
3. Found the Real Meaning of Life
Should I live life to impress other people by earning the most salary, or should I be more thankful and contribute more? It was the question running through my mind when I joined volunteer opportunities.
Volunteering helped me find the real meaning of life to answer this question. There are two answers: 1) Life is an opportunity to make the world a better place. 2) Life is about equality and giving the same opportunities to everyone.
4. Look Beyond Life Achievements
I learned that everyone deserves respect as long as they are decent. It's not about looks, what they achieve or how high their grades are at school. Treating other people is about accepting they are humans. There are flaws, imperfections, strength, unity, and love. As I went home from the volunteer abroad program, I forgot my school records and suddenly called my friends and family to thank them for being there for me.
Since then, I have permanently joined volunteer opportunities from Singapore International Foundation. If you also want to volunteer, you can sign-up at their website today.
