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1. The document reflects on the author's changing views of altruism and service over time. Originally, the author saw altruism as irrational but came to understand the role of empathy through experiences with a community service group.
2. The group faced many challenges in carrying out their service project due to bad weather and lack of support. This was discouraging but the author realized the emotional toll of indifference hurt most.
3. After many delays, the group finally completed their project with one dedicated speaker. The speaker was passionate about sharing knowledge with the community. This reignited the author's passion and understanding of the rewards of service.
1. The document reflects on the author's changing views of altruism and service over time. Originally, the author saw altruism as irrational but came to understand the role of empathy through experiences with a community service group.
2. The group faced many challenges in carrying out their service project due to bad weather and lack of support. This was discouraging but the author realized the emotional toll of indifference hurt most.
3. After many delays, the group finally completed their project with one dedicated speaker. The speaker was passionate about sharing knowledge with the community. This reignited the author's passion and understanding of the rewards of service.
1. The document reflects on the author's changing views of altruism and service over time. Originally, the author saw altruism as irrational but came to understand the role of empathy through experiences with a community service group.
2. The group faced many challenges in carrying out their service project due to bad weather and lack of support. This was discouraging but the author realized the emotional toll of indifference hurt most.
3. After many delays, the group finally completed their project with one dedicated speaker. The speaker was passionate about sharing knowledge with the community. This reignited the author's passion and understanding of the rewards of service.
MAURICIO, Omar Kareem V | 07-63289 | BA Philosophy
Community Welfare Development Training Service 2 (CWTS 2)
Refection Paper Why it Pays to be of Service It has always been a mystery to me how some people of the likes of Mother Theresa of Calcutta or St. Eugene de Mazenod of Aux-en-Provence, France are able to give up a life of comfort and wealth for a life full of sacrifce, hardships and daunts. Some call it altruism but for others, it is nothing more but mere an unsound and an impractical decision to give up a materially fruitful future and opt for a life devoting themselves to work whose products do not beneft them but people who they hardly know at all. Until a few months back, altruism and service to the people sounded nothing more but a theory in Ethics and an intangible, incoherent thought manifested only by the least rational. True, tat altruism needs only little rationality, but not because the person who practices it only has little reason in his human faculties but because among the human faculties, it is empathy, and not rationality, that makes most for altruism to be born out of an individual. The start of the second semester doomed the group to a much greater challenge than it had expected. The downpours of Ondoy and Pepeng and many other storms that lambasted the country left people homeless and impoverished, while others exhausted their resources to the best that they can to help others who have been severed by the strongest storms that the Philippines has seen since Rosing. As the group started to collect funds and ask for solicitations to fund a series of seminars by the start of the second semester of A.Y. 2009-2010, we knew for a fact that the road ahead was going to be as rough as the roads and earth that Ondoy and Pepeng left littered and potholed. Not everyone, of course, had the generosity to pull their resources out and contribute to the cause we deemed reasonable for the people residing in Sitio Ruby, our project site. And although the group was able to pull of the amount it thought needed to start the project, no one talked about it but we knew our spirits were broken by the daunting smirks and unwilling eforts from people who we thought knew better than to smirk or hand in a half-hearted donation. It was probably then that I realized that more than the physical underpinnings of the altruistic, it was these indirect insults and heart-breaking gestures that hurt them most. From then on, I promised that though I might lose the drive to directly participate in the service of the poor and the people in general, I will never lose the soul to nurse and nurture the spirit of those with the passion and zeal to serve the purposes and welfare of others; even if it means that they would have to give up a life of their own. A good doctor, after all, needs another good doctor to take care of him. The group was not able to push through with the project only until recently, where and when even the proposal was continuously revised and made to ft and accommodate the little time that each group member had. Though everyone was willing to compromise their personal (and some even academic) afairs, the project could not push through because speakers, who we thought would readily impart their knowledge to the people we commit of serving had other afairs to deal with, while, also, the project site handlers suddenly demanded requirements which were painstakingly accomplished by the group for the beneft of the people of Sitio Ruby. Finally, the group decided it was time to proceed with the long planned project. Food was prepared, hearts were equipped and our spirits were packed with a burning zeal bring knowledge to the people and give the children some laughter. However, by some turn of events, it could not push through because of unforeseen technicalities and miscommunication between the group and the project site handlers, who apparently had something planned for the day the group was not informed, and in dismay, the burning zeal was extinguished, the hearts were, once again severed, but the food was distributed to children from group members community nearby. Though the dismay was overwhelming and the anticipations turned to anxiety, the smile on the childrens faces and their zest as they bubbled up with the favor of the food, with for us were mere fumes of discouraging scents. In the groups untiring attempt, it was able to deliver, at last. After long months of stalling, it was fnally able to push through with its project though only equipped with one speaker who, nevertheless, shared his knowledge with passion and dedication. Our speaker tirelessly talked about the upcoming automation of the elections and entertained all sorts of questioned even if some drifted far from the topic he promised to discussed. He was patient with the groups shortcomings and he even shared the fare of thanking the group on behalf of the people of Sitio Ruby for the informative discussion on the election automations after revealing that such a simple efort would make a big diference as the COMELEC itself is not able to launch an all out voters education throughout the country, more so in places like Sitio Ruby. The old fame of dedication was slowly enkindled back to life, more so when the group decided to proceed with fun games for the children of Sitio Ruby who were more than willing and participative despite the short notice. As all these were happening, lectures from CWTS1 fashed rapidly. I could remember the faces of speakers who taught us about surveying and proper decorum while in the feld and I realized that although some of their wisdom was true, some did not hold. For instance, they mentioned of adapting the localitys culture and language by being wary of them; although it did help, it did not take much efort to do it as some lecturers proclaimed because of diversity. Probably it was just me overemphasizing on the hardship of adjusting to cultures. Professor Randy Davids voice came to my memory right after the activity, while on the way back to our beloved U.P. I could not mouth the exact words but I knew he said something to the likes which said that the inspiration for service comes diferently to diferent people. It would strike us unexpectedly in the least times we think it would. And if theres something really amazing about Professor David, its of two counts: frst, inspiration does come; second, it comes unexpectedly. And when it does, you cannot refrain from its call.