KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR 

POSTED ON: 09 Nov 2001

Volunteer

Who is a volunteer? One who comes to help, without being asked to help; one who is self-motivated, inspired, becomes a volunteer.

There is the possibility of the inspirational motivation going down in a volunteer, which could bring frustration.

Usually volunteers come from the space of demand rather than humility – this dilutes the quality.

Another slack that could happen to a volunteer is that they could slip away from commitment, thinking there is no ‘boss’ – "If I like it, I do it; if I don’t like it, I don’t!" It is like the steering wheel of a car – if all the tires say they do not need steering, then the car cannot run smoothly. If you want to construct a building, you have to accept the authority of the structural engineer.

All these can only be overcome by being more grounded in spiritual knowledge. A volunteer devoid of spiritual dimension is utterly weak.

1) A volunteer needs to stick to his commitment.

2) The integrity in a volunteer comes from spiritual practices.

3) The authority needs to be acknowledged.

4) The strength of a volunteer comes from the challenges he is ready to willingly face.

5) A volunteer moves beyond boundaries as he finds he is capable of doing so many things he never ever thought of doing.

6) A true volunteer does not expect appreciation or reward.

7) A volunteer has such a joy – that joy, itself, comes as the reward.

8) If a volunteer thinks he is obliging somebody, he is thoroughly mistaken. He is ‘volunteering’ because he derives so much joy out of it.

The joy is immediate – it does not come on the first of every month in the form of a salary!

When a volunteer realizes this, he is filled with gratitude.

When a volunteer waivers from within, the support system is knowledge and good friends.

Jai Guru Dev