Final Reflections

To me the most surprising part of my service is how grateful everyone is for the work that I am doing. Honestly, I didn’t think that my work was that great and wasn’t that much of a help to others. But the more work I do the happier it makes the people at Operation New View. They simply do not have the funding or the time to market their company to the people who can receive help from their programs. Without me making these brochures the company would remain relatively unknown to the general public. Even now when I tell people the company that I am working for, they give me a blank stare and have no idea what I am talking about. But that is the reason that I am there, to spread the word about a company that can do some good for the less fortunate. It is hard for people to find Operation New View if they have no idea that it exists, and impossible for these people to be helped by one of the many programs that Operation New View has to offer. The fact that I am in some way spreading their image has been the most rewarding part.

The most difficult part has been actually making the brochures, but I have gotten better at making them with each passing one. Overall the main thing that this project has taught me about service is that service doesn’t have to be something big to make a difference. I always feel like I can’t help much, or I will be making little impact. But the truth is that any impact helps and even if the service is something simple and small it can be very helpful. I will make sure that I go out and do more service after this class is done.

Charity

To me charity is anything you do that helps others. It is also something that you did that you did not need to do. When you perform an act of charity you should feel good knowing that you have done something good solely because you are a good person. Personally I feel that I am not a very charitable person. Up until now I have kept most of my possessions to myself and haven’t really done anything that helps others. I have performed various acts of service, but I haven’t really helped people on a consistent basis. I hope that when I am older I will have the means to be very charitable. I hope to someday become successful and then use my success to help the less fortunate. I suppose that part of the reason why I haven’t been so charitable up until now is because I feel that I lack the means to make much of an impact. Though any little bit of charity is important, I want to make a larger impact.

According to Merton, charity is something that we do that helps bring us closer to Christ. When we perform charity we are not just helping the other person, we are also helping ourselves. Through performing these acts we bring ourselves closer to living a life that Jesus would want us to live.

Charity leads us to contemplation. For when we are charitable we find our purpose or meaning in this life. Reflecting on what we have done is a lot easier when we have lived a charitable life, because living a life of charity allows us to be proud of the life that we have lived.

Group Service

For our group service project we visited Stone Hill and helped with the elderly. Our project was to listen to the elderly and overall just spend some time with them. We also ended up helping give out prizes at their Sunday night bingo. I ended up talking to an elderly woman who was about to turn 96 years old. She repeated a lot of things but she was very friendly and super happy to be spending time with us. She talked about how she has traveled all around the world, and in her travels she learned that most people are alike. We think we are all so different from one another, but across different cultures we like to do similar things such as playing baseball. She believes that the most important thing in life is to settle down and get married, because marriage is an important part of life. 

This project was different than my individual service project because it was a lot less work and was more enjoyable. The individual service project that I am doing is taking a lot of time and is related to my major. This project was a fun Sunday spent with the elderly, and it didn’t really relate to any business classes I have taken. Overall, I liked this service because talking to the elderly is always interesting. They have lived a long and interesting life, and learning from them is always fun. I enjoy hearing old stories, or listening to the wisdom that they wish to impart onto me. I hope that when I am 95 years old I am able to look back on my life and feel that I have done well.