Over the past year I have been volunteering every Wednesday at the special olympics at Johnson City high school. In my time there I have gotten to know the people who come once a week in order to train by bench pressing and dead lifting for their regional competition. My team and I are in charge of spotting and changing weights for the competitors. Although I am there to just change weights and spot these fierce competitors, I have learned a lot just from attending and listening. Many of the special olympic competitors there absolutely need the help of me and my teammates because they cannot be left alone in a weight room. Other competitors need us for more than just switching their weights and often talk to us about how their days went. They may just tell us how their days went, but when I listen I also hear how their lives are much different and how they overcome their daily struggles. One competitor who I take care of personally who everybody calls “Bulldog” is always talking to me about his nephew who he absolutely adores. The compassion of some of these people is inspiring and is what constantly brings me back every week. After a few weeks in this course I realize that in discussion we often talk about how you should help the community because it is the right thing to do and not for any personal gain. I believe that personal gain is inevitable while being civically engaged and there is nothing wrong with that. It has taught me to appreciate what I have and appreciate the fact that these competitors’ days are made just by telling a story about their day.
While participating in the special olympics, two readings from this course have been extremely relatable and have stuck out to me. One of those readings was an excerpt from The Call of Service. What stood out most in that entire reading when Robert Coles wrote, “I also began to be aware of all that was happening as I Did my work- the comments I heard and overheard, the thoughts that crossed my mind and, not least, the range of feelings that I experienced.” The reasons that stands out so much is because I have the same exact experience during the special olympics. I hear how many of the competitors are annoyed that they are being treated like children and how they are unable to drive due to their disabilities. I also hear how much they love coming to special olympics and see how passionate they are about lifting and winning. It is often eye opening and question provoking. Why is it such a small crowd helping these competitors? Why do they get almost no funding and have to lift in a high school gym? How should I treat these people if they do not want to be babied? I do not have the answers for these questions, but many competitors often do not care about the conditions they lift in. To answer the questioned of how to treat these competitors is unknown to me as well although I have learned which people need it and those who do not.
Another article that truly stuck out to me was “To Hell with Good Intentions.” Although it may be odd to say “To hell with good intentions” at the special olympics I think that it may actually be the case with helping some competitors there. Some competitors are less mentally or physically impaired and do not want my assistance. They are offended when I ask them if they need help or even if I say “good job.” These competitors do not want to be considered “special” and do not want to be treated differently. This is relative to what we discussed in class because some people do not want help. Some people not wanting help is not a bad thing and people who are involved with their community must understand that. Although “Good Intentions” regarded civic engagement on a national level it is still relative to civil engagement on a much smaller level. There is no clear line where civil engagement is not needed and it would be very difficult to draw that line. Is it possible to make a more clear line? I do not think so, but if you do feel free to comment on my post!
Another question: In class we talked about a “good life” and how it involves giving back to your community. Can a person with special needs still live a “good life” if they do not give back to the community because they are unable to do so? If so, how?
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ReplyDeleteRobert, I really liked what you said about not wanting to "baby" the people you helped in the Special Olympics. When I was younger, I also volunteered at a Special Olympics event and looking back, I wonder if I could have been more conscious of the desires of the participants. In all forms of civic engagement and volunteering, too often I think we focus on the aspects that concern us: why WE are doing this, what good people WE are, how the people we're helping must look up to US. Forgotten is the true reason, I think, that we engage in forms of philanthropy: our shared humanity. On a basic, fundamental level, most organisms of higher intelligence (that is, most mammals, etc) exhibit signs of altruism. On an evolutionary level, I think that still rings true; when we see another person suffer, we suffer secondarily, and we want to help them. By focusing not on what makes us different from the people we help--that is, that we are in a more favorable situation than them--but by focusing instead on what we share, we can all be better philanthropists. In the end, we're all just people.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you and your opinion on personal gain. I think that when you go into a certain service activity with the perspective that you are doing something for someone else and not for yourself is where you can find the most personal gain.
ReplyDeleteI also think the last question you asked about living a good life is really insightful and something really interesting to think about. It definitely makes me think more about my definition for a good life and makes me realize every person has to define what is a good life for themselves. Personally, I feel that if I am able to better someone else's life at some time or another, I will have lived a good life. However, a person with special needs is not in the same position as me. Maybe, the way the special needs students that you work with affect you is their way of living a good life, whether they know it or not.
I really liked the level of compassion you felt towards these people. I do agree that it is perfectly fine to receive of level of personal gain so as long as it is not the sole purpose of helping and volunteering your time to helping other people in need. Even though they are different from you or 'disadvantaged' in any way, it is important to treat them with as much respect and dignity as you would like to receive yourself.
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