True Colors
I like to think of my parents as generous people, and for the most part, they are. They regularly give to church and send money to acquaintances who allocate those funds to charitable purposes. But the moment I mention wanting to volunteer abroad, they do a second take. They are dubious of international aid organizations, and that is understandable. There are countless stories of fraud, money laundering, mismanagement, and outright pilfering of philanthropic funds.
If their suspicions of institutional iniquity were their only misgivings, I wouldn't be as concerned. With education and honest conversation, I believe those concerns could be pacified. What bothers me is that they don't seem to recognize the value of volunteerism.
"I raise you so that you can help others?" is their fallback retort to when I ask them if they'd be okay with me going abroad. Such a response has two effects: First, it induces guilt. Must help the parents before you help strangers, right? In a way, it obliges me to stay with my parents and inhibits my development. Second, it frustrates me. The way I see it, when you honestly commit to volunteering, as I am prepared to do, you find a pieces of yourself just as you are lending a hand to others. I truly believe that I will not be able to fully cherish my life till I have voluntarily transplanted myself to somewhere beyond the reach of my parents and struggled alongside those less fortunate than me. If my parents really wanted me to grow, they would let me go. They don't have to support me financially, but I would appreciate it if they stood behind my decisions.
I hope these lofty words don't one day come back to haunt me.
If their suspicions of institutional iniquity were their only misgivings, I wouldn't be as concerned. With education and honest conversation, I believe those concerns could be pacified. What bothers me is that they don't seem to recognize the value of volunteerism.
"I raise you so that you can help others?" is their fallback retort to when I ask them if they'd be okay with me going abroad. Such a response has two effects: First, it induces guilt. Must help the parents before you help strangers, right? In a way, it obliges me to stay with my parents and inhibits my development. Second, it frustrates me. The way I see it, when you honestly commit to volunteering, as I am prepared to do, you find a pieces of yourself just as you are lending a hand to others. I truly believe that I will not be able to fully cherish my life till I have voluntarily transplanted myself to somewhere beyond the reach of my parents and struggled alongside those less fortunate than me. If my parents really wanted me to grow, they would let me go. They don't have to support me financially, but I would appreciate it if they stood behind my decisions.
I hope these lofty words don't one day come back to haunt me.