Georgetown students are selfish. Every single one of us was admitted to this school by demonstrating our worth above thousands of other applicants — a process that is repeated similarly in clubs, classes and job searches. Our circumstances push us toward constant competition. This culture, however, begins the trek to a lonely life of perpetual self-promotion. In order to diverge from that path, we must step back and live more intentionally while consciously choosing what we do and the reasons why we do it. We need something to encourage us to take time not only for ourselves but also for others. This is why Georgetown Individuals Vocal and Energetic for Service exists.
While we applaud those who commit their lives to service, we recognize that not everyone can. For the vast majority, our lives are shaped by much more than our charitable acts. No matter what your future may entail, keeping others in mind should always be a part of it. There is no act of service too small and no gesture too insignificant to make the world a better place. Georgetown should instill this belief in all who pass through its gates.
We believe that GIVES makes service accessible, available and fun for anyone willing to participate. Instead of spreading our message through lectures, forums or meetings, we bring the most basic aspects of service — love and enthusiasm — directly into the daily lives of everyone on campus. Even if only for a moment, our acts of kindness provoke individual shifts from introspection to interactions with others. Through these acts, we do not aspire to cure cancer or end world hunger — only to bring shared happiness into the lives of students. It is from this human connection that we first engage so many of our members by showing them service in its most raw and basic form. This first exposure is often all it takes to introduce fellow students to the pure goodness of service.
We are not writing about GIVES as a means of publicity, bragging or trying to justify our existence as an organization. We are writing about GIVES because it is what we know and what we do. GIVES is not an organization; it is an ideal to which we strive — the belief that if you make service accessible and fun, you can expose just about anyone to the presence of pure love within a selfless act. This vision cannot completely occur during our time here on the Hilltop and may never happen at all. Yet the more people who decide this is a worthy cause, the more our diversity of experiences and abilities can contribute to the growth of this love.
Too often this ideal is dismissed by students who claim they are not the “service type.” These students are worried about the manner in which they depict themselves to peers and employers and allow themselves to be labeled in a certain manner. We are “SFSers” or “MSBros” or “people who still think they can be president.” This also implies that there is a type of “community-service person” that is more predisposed to helping others. These labels are superficial, limiting and overly simplistic. Just as patriotism does not belong to any one political party and faith does not belong to one religion, service does not belong to any single approach to helping one another.
Benjamin Weiss and Philip Dearing are juniors in the College. A University for Others appears every other Friday.
