What's the point?

Arnold Schwarzenegger 

Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, “Help others and give something back. I guarantee you will discover that while public service improves the lives and the world around you, its greatest reward is the enrichment and new meaning it will bring your own life.” Service learning is a required assignment for CIS 112, and it is easy to lose the enthusiasm and joy of service as the semester goes by. So I beg the question, “What is the point of these service trips to Best Friends Day Center?” 

I’ll give you my answer.

The first service trip is always awkward. The most difficult part is being enthusiastic and taking time out of your busy day for that first visit. I didn’t know anyone at Best Friends Day Center, and I didn’t know what I’d be doing while I was there. I was scared when I first walked in, but over time, I developed some great relationships with the friends and the other volunteers. Whenever I drive back to UK’s campus after a Best Friends trip, I can’t help but smile and think about the amazing relationships I’ve made with the friends. I now walk through the doors of Best Friends dancing, singing, and having a grand ol’ time. Service feels so good. It’s kind of selfish, I know, but service is rewarding to me because I value my relationships with other people more than anything else. I think you would agree that the world revolves around human relationships. It is human nature to worry and care about other people, and making other people happy is the most satisfying thing to the individual. Someone may say, “Don’t put your happiness in other people,” but it is human nature to do so. When I can make someone smile by leading sing-a-longs or simply handing out ice cream, I feel a sense of fulfillment and purpose that I don’t feel at any other time.

     Purpose is such a general term. Perhaps you’ve asked yourself, “What is my purpose in life? Why am I here?” These are important questions that no one throughout history has answered definitively, but perhaps we can get close to an answer. One can easily find meaning and purpose in life through service, because by it, one is living for the benefit and happiness of others. For example, as a singer, service comes rather easy, especially during the Christmas season. I have found my purpose by singing and caroling around the community of Lexington, including Best Friends Day Center. The entire season of Christmas relies on the power and effectiveness of music for the spirit to come alive in people, and it is a blessing to have been given such a gift that I can share with others. I have found my purpose in life through music, which in a way, is a type of service because the whole goal of music is to share it with as many as people as possible. Music spreads emotion through the power of harmony and emotion, and service has been special to me because it has been an opportunity to spread joy and laugher to Best Friends.

     I would like to thank everyone at Best Friends for allowing me to volunteer there. It has been an absolute pleasure, and I wouldn’t want to have spent my freshman fall semester at UK doing anything else.