Daily Lessons from Life 07 September 2014 - Minister Tan Chuan-Jin urges volunteerism among Singaporeans

"Minister Tan Chuan-Jin urges volunteerism among Singaporeans - CNA 7 Sep 2014

SINGAPORE: Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin has urged more Singaporeans to volunteer. He said that the act of giving is not just about making a difference to the beneficiaries, but also about learning to appreciate what one has.
He said: "It is really about building a greater Singapore, which isn't just about (the) economy and the rest of the infrastructure itself, which is also important. But actually it's about the heart and soul of the nation. And the only platform I can think of is in giving, and not just money and time but, more importantly, investing your lives in the lives of others."
Mr Tan was speaking on Sunday (Sep 7) at an annual fund-raising event at The Intan, an award-winning Peranakan home museum.
The OCBC-TODAY Children's Fund was set up in October last year to help children from distressed families rebuild their lives through counselling, mentoring and therapy. It supports programmes offered by the Singapore Children's Society.
TODAY, a MediaCorp publication, raises awareness of the fund and its programme through stories on the fund and its beneficiaries. OCBC will match S$1 for every S$2 donated by the public."

Volunteering is a noble cause worth investing one's time in. In cut-throat, ultra-competitive and super kia-su Singapore, it is NOT easy to instill such a spirit. It is simply unnatural not to protect your own interest first.

Lessons for me are:

1. it is totally understandable for people to volunteer only when they feel that they have taken care of themselves first. With the talk of 'do we have enough for retirement' swirling in the air lately, many felt they are not adequately protected for retirement. So, it will be harder for them to think about volunteering to help others. This is understandable;

2. Singapore is the world's richest nation per capital income and often touted as a developed nation. Yet, when measured by the soft factors like % of volunteers, we are not at the top. We also have challenges in inculcating 'gracefulness' like simple act of: returning your tray and clean up after you eat at public hawkers center/food area, giving your seats up for the needy, etc. So, we are quite backward really in the soft measure;

3. precisely because it is unnatural for human being to volunteer to help others who are less fortunate then them when their own needs are not met, the more respect I have for people who did exactly that - selflessness. Volunteers volunteered because of the desire to do good. That's the driving force. It is not because they were asked to help but because they want to help.

We can continue to raise the call for volunteerism among Singaporeans. Hopefully when they become more aware of it, the seeds planted may trigger the desire to do good with very small steps and actions. Steps and actions so small that it will not strain their sense of 'I am not taken care of so why should I care about others who are less fortunate than me?'.

Volunteer for a cause you are passionate about will be the most easy place to start. There is no need to follow the crowds.