Volunteering
Introduction:
Marcus Aurelius the roman emperor and philosopher said “what is bad for the hive is bad for the bee”. I take this to mean that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves and should do our best for it. This should be over and beyond what is in our own self interest.
There are real benefits in this. You will meet wonderful people who are your fellow volunteers. Hopefully you will be making things better. This process will move out in circles.
The first circle will be the betterment of yourself. You will meet good people and that can only be a good thing. To network and to be thought of well by others is a blessing.
The second circle will be the betterment of whatever you are volunteering for. If you have something to contribute you should and if you are not making things better find something else.
The third circle will be the betterment of society. This takes us back to the first paragraph above. It is easy to see everything in our own terms. We should aspire for a little bit of greatness even if it’s only the effort of trying. Sometimes it’s the struggle that makes us better.
Work:
I volunteer for two work related things. On a local level I am a committee member of the Southern Driving Instructors Association. On a national level I am a general council member of the Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Council (ADINJC).
The SDIA involves about four committee meetings a year and a further four continuous professional development (CPD) meetings a year. We sometimes have social events and it is a privilege as always to work with people who are trying to help others.
With the general council at the ADINJC I am privileged to work with some of the most prominent names in the driver training industry. I take this as an opportunity to both network and learn.
One of the ways that I help is by writing for the monthly newsletter. This forces me to think about driving and the process of teaching driving. The process is never ending, nor should it be. Everyday is a school day and once we let our brain stop working I think we are finished as people.
LCT 7074:
I was until recently a volunteer on LCT 7074 which is a WW2 tank landing craft that served during D-Day amongst other things.
Each time I went on board I would try to learn some new facts about it. As always I enjoy meeting new people and listening to their stories. Health and safety is very important when you go aboard. You are warned about the trip hazards and to watch your head as you move about the ship. The contrast with doing that and what the men who served on her during the war had to go through often crosses my mind.
A delightful story I heard from two brothers was about how their dad was machine gunned as he went ashore on D-Day. The bullets went into both legs high on each thigh. A little bit to either side and while their dad may still have survived, he would not have been in a position to father two boys!
Where I live:
We have a Right To Manage (RTM) management company to run the block of flats where I live for which I am one of the directors. Having an RTM is very useful in a number of ways.
Some of the routine tasks are now done by our managing agent. This ensures that things are done professionally. Another benefit is that it takes some of the personality out of things.
I still take a hand in helping organise work that needs to be done. But I know I can ask questions of our agent who will have far more experience in whatever has to be done than I will ever have.
It seems that my principle task is that of being the bin fairy. We all make rods for our own backs and nobody lines the bins up quite like I like to see it done. My neighbours are good and will help
