Sunday, May 11, 2008

Volunteers needed




There have been several article in the local paper lamenting the lack of VOLUNTEERS for anything.
Here is MY take on the situation.

Humans are a naturally benevolent lot! - It’s in our nature to help those who are in trouble, suffering, or in danger. That’s why we have heroes - people who put their own lives at risk to save the life of another. They don’t do it because they’re FORCED to do it, they do it of their own free will - it’s a natural reaction, and part of the human psyche.

When people are FORCED - through taxes - to be benevolent, they become of the mind that they have “done their bit,” and are paying for somebody to be benevolent on their behalf - (council, government etc) and THIS is the reason we have so few VOLUNTEERS for anything these days.
They have already made their (forced) donation, havent they done enough? Why should they donate even MORE.

In the past if an area needed a playground, a group of concerned people - usually service groups like Lions or Jaycees etc would get together, fundraise, find sponsorship, pool their skills, and then get together on a Sunday morning, and dig holes, pour concrete and paint things.

This was called community spirit.

The demise of public spiritedness, has come about because instead of doing the work, groups like mother-for-museums just hold their hand out, and plead a NEED.
It is greed for things that belong to other people (a disregard for property rights), and the use of force that are denying us of our natural benevolence.

You will not find a solution to this problem until you admit to what is the cause of it!

1 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Well said. I've long thought that the coercive nature of taxation and unecessary state regulation is causing the exact opposite of what it's supporters claim it is doing (improving 'society') for exactly the reasons you cite. It deprives people of the need for voluntary involvement as you have already been forced to contribute - why do so any further? It's someone else's problem now. Like getting rid of your rubbish - you pay someone to take the problem away.
And the problem doesn't stop there. By separating the voluntary and compassionate aspect from giving, the mentality of entitlement is fostered where there is no longer gratitude or a moral 'debt' towards the donor which further breaks down the social bonding the voluntary charitable efforts would create. This reduces the incentive for the receiver to make any effort to 'pay back' that help. There is no connection between those that pay and those that receive - the payers don't care whether the money helps as they have no choice and it frees them from further obligation, and the receievers don't care who pays - they just get money anonymously given to them so why need to be grateful and make amends?

Great society people - way to go. Socialism, your 'caring' alternative.

5:47 am  

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