Time to serve others
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By Frederick Mun
Wrapped in her sheets from Samsung Hospital, connected to a heart monitor from Dankook University and clothed in a hospital gown from the St. Mary’s Medical Center, “Ms. Lim” lay quietly in her bed.
This summer was my fourth volunteering at the Holy Family Welfare Hospital of Korea (HFWH). Without any relatives, or any money, Lim was one of the many patients who sought refuge at this hospital, which lovingly took her in.
As a patient in the Hospice Division, Lim only had a couple months to live; yet even with its limited resources, HFWH was able to provide this gentle woman with a peaceful atmosphere to live out her final days.
Run almost entirely by volunteers, the hospital attracts people from all backgrounds: from barbers and dry cleaners to lawyers and professors, everyone can contribute in some way. But even with the current team of dedicated volunteers and donations, HFWH is always in need of more help.
The hospital’s situation highlights the important role of volunteers in society. Even though the demands of life can make finding time for volunteering difficult, the well-off in society have an inherent obligation to help the poor and underprivileged.
“The donations and volunteers have been diminishing,” a nurse surnamed Kim said. She added, “volunteers often lose commitment over time.”
Although she expressed gratitude to those who have remained faithful to the hospital, she worried about the hospital’s survival as members of the community slowly take volunteer work out of their lives.
In the competitive, dog-eat-dog society we live in today, it seems illogical to be spending a portion of our precious time bettering the lives of others and not furthering our own lives.
According to official statistics, there were a total of 4.92 million registered volunteers in South Korea as of March 2012. Out of them, only 1.53 million volunteered at least once a year.
Why is it that only 20 percent of registered volunteers are actually doing community service?
Blaming the low yield on the busy lives of most volunteers, nurse Kim said, “many people don’t have the time to volunteer while having full-time jobs and taking care of their kids.”
Another nurse Lee said, “A lot of volunteers register in high schools and colleges. But when they get jobs, volunteer work becomes an activity of the past.”
Many Korean students seem to do community service just to get into college. Though the competitive atmosphere fosters a spike in community service among young adults, and teenagers, there seems to rarely be any long-term commitment to community service.
Greek philosopher Socrates believed in the inherent virtues of mankind, and suggested that through serving others _ doing good deeds _ one’s soul would be enriched with happiness.
HFWH is just one of many places where people can do community service. People with great privilege owe a debt to our society that gives them great opportunities.
Community service should not be a burden, but rather an opportunity to better oneself and help others through self-reflection and work.
Frederick Mun is a 12th-grade student at the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn., the U.S.