‘I just want to have a good time, can’t I have fun for the rest of my life?’

One day the owner of the voluntary organization came to me and said: ‘Paris I tried many times but the kids are just not bringing their notebooks, pens, and pencils, so I understand that you find the work in the center pretty chaotic but we cannot do anything to change that, trust me’.

As a very determinate person, of course, I didn’t take that statement for final. I’ve received so many ‘no’ for an answer in my life that I could not remember, so I’ve learned to be persistent and each time I succeeded to turn the ‘no’ into a ‘yes’! When some of the kids didn’t bring their personal notebooks, I told them that they couldn’t participate in the learning process. At the end, only after a week, all of my students were using their notebooks and pencils that we provided them in a first place from donations.

I was concerned about one of the boys – Ganesh. He was wearing the same clothes every day (as the major part of the children), but his clothes were even more ragged. I know I can’t help all of the kids (especially all over the World) but while my mother was sick and fighting with cancer, I learned one thing that everybody is able to do – to help and resolve problems which are crossing their road. Or as Voltaire once wrote: ‘Everybody is guilty of all the good he did not do’.

Every time I saw this wonderful kid lifting up his pants without buttons and zipper and wrapping them with a belt, something inside me fell apart. So I decided to help him get some new clothes.

While teaching in India, one thing brought my attention and made me think in a different way. When I started, at first, I had this impression that some of my students that had a lower level of education also seemed to comprehend information in slower pace. Nevertheless, after they were being paid a little more attention from me they actually made a huge progress. I made the conclusion that we should never judge anyone or anything that we do not know. Moreover, it’s essential that we give everybody a chance, because sometimes, as human beings, all we need, in order improve, is just a little trust that turns into motivation.

That leads to something else I would like to tell you, my dear readers. Nowadays, it is easier to humiliate someone, to make him/her feels like a nobody. But how many of you can actually do the opposite? How many of you are able to stimulate and give positivity to others? Try it. There is enough hatred in the World, enough pain, enough insecurity. Don’t be just another that is causing even more. Be the one who has the power to fight and bring the change!

‘Be the change you want to see in the World’ (Gandhi). Enough said or maybe not?

I think, it is very important to understand that the greatest risk in life is not to risk. So make that change, motivate others, and help people around you. You will see in time how you fulfill yourself with energy and love!
After I finished the work in the educational center, one night over dinner with the owner of the organization, he brought the topic about his friend who was sick, and asked me if I could help him financially. His friend had cancer and he needed 20 000 India rupees (around 300 euro) for his operation. I am pretty sensitive about the topic ‘cancer’ (I was sure that the story was true and not just some fake one to make profit of) so I offered to cover the whole operation. The next day S. told me that this man called him and said he has already raised the money he needed but anyway he was very grateful to all the people who wanted and offered to help. I am telling you that story not with the intention to make you give your money away to people in need, but to think about ways in which you can help people and situations around you.

This is an example of a story that, I believe, for some reason crossed my road and I was willing to help.

I will tell you something else that I argue – it is said that too much of anything is bad and I think a lot of generosity could also be a vice. I believe that first you have to help yourself and then try to help the others. Because you need to be stable and secure to do so.

It is important to focus on one particular thing, on one topic that you could concentrate on. I have this idea of voluntary process: if you help and support many different causes, it could turn to be overwhelming and hard to do, because you will need a very big amount of resources and information. It is like building a couple of houses at the same time. If you are not used to do this, the lack of experience will make the task quite impossible because you would not manage to organize your resources and material, and to keep the pace of constructing of both buildings. While investing in the first one time and conditions will destroy what you did with the other one and you will have to start over. But if you focus all your efforts in only one house, you will manage to build it faster and better.

The same goes to voluntary initiatives. That is why I suggest you choose, at first, only one cause (in case you haven’t decided to fully dedicate your life on voluntary work) and to fight for it until you improve. In time you will be enough experienced and well informed and your help will be really efficient.
‘I just want to have a good time, can’t have I have fun for the rest of my life?’

I know I can, because helping people makes me happy. Exploring my Humanity makes me feel fantastic and I am sure if you find your voluntary field you can be as happy as I am. Because I receive a lot of love from my family, friends, and people around me, but if I stop sharing all this love with others I wouldn’t be able to explore the best possible feeling that makes you move and search for even more…The feeling of being complete in your life by giving love!

With all my heart, dear readers,
Paris