Volunteering adds new meaning to ‘happiness’
Print Edition
EVER since I became a social entrepreneur by starting my own organization Safe Zone, which assists children with anxiety disorders, the word “volunteering” has transformed into something of much more importance and meaning than I had associated it with before. I believe volunteering for different causes and programs has had a huge impact on my life.
It’s a privilege to be involved in something as special as a volunteer program. It has allowed me to explore the lives, the situations and the daily problems of others, while putting my own lifestyle into perspective. The first time I met an 11-year-old boy who suffers from agoraphobia and has regular panic attacks, I asked him what he would like to achieve in the future. He blinked once or twice before giving me a shy smile and told me that as of right now, he just wanted to be happy. I spent a lot of time with him talking about help he could receive with Safe Zone and just trying to get him to be more comfortable around me. The more time I spent with him, the more I noticed how much I, and other people, take happiness for granted. Seeing how he perceived the word “happy” and how complex the feeling of “happiness” seemed to be to him, I started asking myself where and when I feel the happiest.
Whenever I am around people like him, people whom I wouldn’t normally meet if I lived my life without joining these programs, that’s when I feel the happiest. I encourage everybody to join my happy place. You won’t regret it.
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