Comment by dijksterhuis

i volunteer.

my suggestion to the author would be: spend some time volunteering and get over yourself (by that i mean their own ego which seems to be putting them at the centre of everything).

in my experience, some things tend to come out of it

- gratitude for where i am at in life because i’m struggling less than the people i’m helping

- empathy because jesus yeah these people are struggling and i’m seeing just how much it’s affecting them

- humility because you know what, i really am limited in what i can actually do for these people, none of my “technical prowess” is actually useful here

- purpose because man i feel bad for these people and id like to do more to help than just showing up once a week

i don’t volunteer because it’s “virtuous”. fuck virtuosity.

i do it because i need to for my own sake — to experience the stuff above. it’s selfish-selflessness. by helping others i also help myself.

edit — added the one about humility which is quite important

edit 2 — donating money (philanthropy) is not the same as volunteering. in case there’s any confusion. boots on the ground are required.