I Want To Save The World - What’s Wrong With That?

By Kate | Permalink | No Comments | February 13th, 2007 | Trackback

It’s admirable to want to save the world and to “help others” in a clear way. It is perhaps though good to be very careful if this is your main motivation.

First off, the assumption that people or the world need to be saved – and that you are the one who can provide this saving at the exclusion of others, say, locals already there – is one that many people take issue with. As well-intentioned as it may be, it often comes across as arrogant.

Second, most people with experience volunteering internationally have a perspective on issues that new volunteers may have yet to gain. Problems are big and there are very real causes behind most problems. If they could be solved in some simple way, they would have been. These problems exist because there are in fact roadblocks to their solution; this doesn’t mean the problems will never be solved, just that it’s not simple.

There is good still to be done that falls short of saving the world. But if your motivation is to see some immediate result, you will probably be disappointed. Will you quit because your sole motivation is gone?

If your motivation is to have a unique experience or gain practical skills in the field, you can still do that. Volunteers whose motivation is almost totally external and who find that in reality, they have little control over the situation are more likely to give up. Looking at your contribution in another light may help.

If you expect to be working “in the trenches” – you probably won’t be and if you are dependent on this you may lose your motivation and interest, which can affect not only you but other volunteers as well as the local community. If the point really is to help others, you often can do this mainly from home than in person – by fundraising or just raising interest. This doesn’t mean everyone should stay home; it means people should be realistic about their motivation for volunteering.

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