Yesterday night, October 18, I attended a reflection session in the Campus Center Meeting Room 4. At first, I was dreading to go to the session. For one, I was sick and did not feel well. Walking from my dorm all the way to the campus center would not be a good idea with a cold/cough. And two, I thought that it was going to be packed with people saying what kind of service they completed in the past few weeks, when I only completed little projects.
I was nervous when I showed up, because no one was there. I did arrive about ten minutes early, but I thought that at least someone would be in the room waiting. Soon, though, a few people showed up and I entered the room. Not many people attended, which was surprising. What was even more surprising was that everyone made me feel welcomed; I wasn’t just a little girl completing a small project, but a person that was doing good for her community.
During the reflection, we talked about the services we completed, how we could make them better, and what was the message we received from the service. I realized that the service isn’t supposed to make only myself happy, but the whole community. I shouldn’t be completing service for my own sake, so I do not feel guilty for not helping out the underprivileged, but for the sake of others. How the director of the reflection said it was that not everyone wants help, and we cannot just go out trying to help them if they don’t want it. It’s like going out and giving food to people you think need it, just so you can feel better. You might feel better, but the people that were given the food might not want it or they might feel disrespected and ashamed because they “looked” like they needed it. There are two sides to every story, so I left with the knowledge of not helping someone unless they ask for it. This doesn’t mean to not help the lady who is dropping all of her grocery bags and doesn’t have enough hands to carry them all. It means to not go and complete service just to make myself happy, but to make the people that need it happy.
A poem that was shared with us, The Starfish Story, really make me think about helping others and if they really want the help.
The Starfish Story
An old man was walking on the beach one morning after a storm.
In the distance, he could see someone moving like a dancer. As he came closer,
he saw that it was a young woman picking up starfish and gently throwing them into the ocean.
“Young lady, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” “The sun is up, and the tide is going
out, and if I do not throw them in they will die,” she said. “But young lady, do you not realize
that there are many miles of beach and thousands of starfish? You cannot possibly
make a difference.” The young woman listened politely, then bent down, picked up
another starfish and threw it into the sea. “It made a difference for that one.”
I came out of the reflection with two points to this story. First, even though I am only one person, one person can make a difference. Anyone can make a change, if she works hard enough and tries her best. Second, don’t help someone out just to make myself happy and only help someone if they ask; this way I will not offend people who I think need help when they actually do not.