One thing that I have done a lot of in my life is volunteer work. It started first when I was quite young and I would shovel the sidewalks of an elderly woman who lived near us. The next step came when I was 13 and my dad hauled me off to help work at Knights of Columbus bingos in the church basement in my home town. It was at these that I learned I could look at volunteer work as a social outing as well as something I had a responsibility to do for society.
I really had no problem doing this since all of my time growing up I saw my parents volunteering to help the community and to me it was just something a responsible person did since there were so many things society has done for them. Throughout my life I have had many other role models who have worked hard at volunteer work without expecting anything in return other that the good feeling that is there when you know you have been part of something good.
There is no one in society who has not gained from all of the aspects of the civilization in which they live. I have often used the parable of the older man who was planting fruit trees in an orchard when he was approached by a younger person who told him he was foolish to do so since he would never live long enough to see any personal benefit from his labour. To this he responded by telling the youth for his whole life he had gained the benefit of having eaten the fruit and sat in the shade of the orchard trees even though it was someone before him who had planted the trees.
This shows the responsibility we each have to give to the society from which we benefit each and every day. It is only by living up to these responsibilities that societies and cultures survive. It is also the responsibility of each generation to teach these responsibilities to the next. When, as a culture, we fail in this we are starting to signal the demise of our civilizations.
Over the last while I have noticed a trend where many people are taking a narcissistic view of these responsibilities and are only willing to come out to support fundraisers if they see some personal monetary gain for themselves. If they don't get paid it is to hell with you, or they expect some other form of remuneration for their time. In one case the person was complaining that he did all of this and since he was on a disability pension he should get paid. The thing he did not realize was that the person he was talking to (me) was getting the same level of benefit from disability and yet I often drove to North Battleford at my own personal cost to take part in the same activities in which he was involved. I also know of many others who do large amounts at their own personal expense without asking for a cent in return. But this one fellow is not alone in his demand of pay. There are many who take this self centred view of any volunteer organization expecting payment for their time when, in essence, they owe much, much more than they give.
Why is there this shift in society. Why do so many people expect so much without giving anything in return? This question brings up many answers, but there are two that stand out. One is that parents and society have been lax in teaching these responsibilities and thus we have created this situation over time. The other is our Canadian Charter of Rights which Pierre Trudeau rushed through to make a legacy to himself.
Now, don't get me wrong, I believe fully in many of the things in that Charter, but I also believe it was instituted without a sister document that would have been equally important to society and that document would be a charter of responsibilities.
For every right we demand of society there is a responsibility we also owe to that civilization and thus, without this important document, we have created a large number of people who strictly adhere to what has become self centred goals in life and in doing so, are tearing apart the fabric of the society that gives them their rights.
One good example of this is a judicial system where people who have severely harmed society still get to claim rights that should only be available to those who have first of all lived up to their responsibility.
My question is whether we have let things go too far for them to return or if some day our politicians (many of whom seem to be part of this self centred movement) will correct this problem before it is too late. (Bet I get a few comments from this!)
In Kaiser action Oct. 6, first place went to Fred Gansauge, second was taken by Jean Gansauge, third was tied up by Herman Hoogland, and Teta Harty came in fourth.
Oct. 10 in contract bridge, Robert Iverson took first place and Judy Iverson came in second. Oct. 11 in duplicate bridge action, the team of Jim Hamilton and Frank Antoine took first with Robert Iverson and Joyce Antoine placing second.
Quote: "Any right is always coupled to a responsibility." Marjan van der Belt
