Here we are, back in Hanover for another term. Have you thought about what you're going to do differently this term? Maybe you've considered studying more, partying more or joining another campus organization. Let me offer a suggestion: spend a few hours a week volunteering.
Volunteering has become a large part of my Dartmouth experience. Through volunteering, I've made friends, learned a lot about myself and the world, and put in a lot of hours helping others. Have I loved every minute? Not exactly. I've been challenged in many ways, and even lost a lot of sleep, but I wouldn't want to change one second of it. Now I ask you to give it a chance.
I've wanted to write something like this for a long time, but I never knew how to put my strong sentiments into words. My thoughts began to crystallize during the weeks I spent vegging over break. The holiday season can bring about both the best and the worst of our society. It is the holiday season that inspires many to give of their money and time to the less fortunate, yet these efforts seem only a meager stream flowing against the tide of consumerism that is so strong during the holidays. The messages from the TV scream "buy this, buy that, it doesn't matter if you need it. Give gifts to others but think about yourself and all of your material desires." The season of giving began to seem like the season of selfishness.
Sometimes, I feel this selfishness at Dartmouth. We are part of a privileged community of students. Yes, there are many among us who work long hours and whose families work even longer hours, just to be able to attend school here, but I have met some individuals who classify not getting a NorthFace jacket for Christmas as a major hardship. It makes me ill.
I just don't understand why people don't see, or don't care, that there are so many in the Upper Valley, in areas very close to Dartmouth, that don't have the things we take for granted. There are adults who struggle to put food on the plates of their children, and children who just wish someone could help them learn how to read. And what kills me is that we as a campus have so much potential to help others, and it is a crime not to realize this potential.
So do I think we have an obligation, a moral responsibility to help the less fortunate? Yes, I do. Maybe you disagree with me. Last term in my philosophy discussion section, I heard someone say that she felt that we had no responsibility to aid anyone other than ourselves. And that floored me.
If you do care, and it does concern you that we complain about Food Court while there are millions in this world who would love to eat our scraps, then you should do something about it.
Are you going to save the whole world by helping others in the Upper Valley for a few hours a week? No, of course not. What you will do is make a difference in the lives of a few other human beings. That's enough for me, and I hope it is for you too.
I'm also sick of the "I don't have time to volunteer" excuse. Too many people on this campus think it is too much to take three or four hours out of their schedules each week to devote to a community service project.
I don't accept this, because the people I know who volunteer are among the busiest I know. They play varsity sports, work and study, but they find three hours a week. Maybe it comes out of their TV time, their Snood time or their vegging time, but they do it.
I know what people say -- there are people here who work so much that they really don't have the time. But I'm not talking to those people. We're all smart enough to know the difference between not having the time to do it and not wanting to have the time. How about making volunteering a part of your Dartmouth experience?
I know that by writing this, I've probably made some people angry -- people who will ask, "What gives her the right to preach to us?" And to those people, I just say this: go have a nice dinner and go home to your nice warm bed. Think about how lucky you are. Maybe you'll change your mind. I hope so.
