Like many of the other Bonners, I am incredibly excited to
start service in the Jersey Shore area and later New Orleans. Throughout the
semester, I found myself understanding that service is not only good, but absolutely essential. Its has been over 60 days
since the hurricane hit and the U.S. Congress has yet to approve a bill for
Sandy relief. Politics aside, something must be done in the meantime while the
chambers of the house and senate are filled with heated argument over precisely
how much money should be allocated for hurricane relief. It is in situations
like these, when the bureaucratic system is too slow to react, that volunteers
must do their bit. It is of course very unfortunate that our area has been so
devastated by the undiscriminating and unrelenting wrath of Hurricane Sandy,
but at the same time perhaps we can view this as an opportunity--an opportunity
to truly understand the importance of service and empathy. When we begin
working to rebuild New Jersey tomorrow morning, we will encounter much
devastation and learn about the hardships that this natural disaster has
caused. Though there may be many differences between the New Jersey, tri-state
area and New Orleans, I imagine that we will find that people--wherever they
are--can do truly miraculous things when faced with hard times. I don’t
consider myself to be a terribly spiritual person, but there is a certain type
of spirit that every human being shares when they see their neighbor (even ones
who are thousands of miles away), in need. Indeed, that’s ultimately why the
Bonner program exists--to instill this sense of empathy and compassion into
young people. Yet, I must also remind myself, as does anyone who engages in
service, to not allow any room for ego or self-righteousness. Our goal is to
help people with selfless compassion. That being said, I cannot wait to get
started. I hope these sentiments are not just mine, but common among all Bonners.
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