Giving and getting

After two intensive weeks in the mountains with a bunch of people, after many frustrating and drastically outnumbered great moments, the cook of our summer camps said to me (not word to word, translated from Albanian, written down weeks after): “You are the best here. You are the best because you didn't change. You remained the same. You came here as yourself.” I was moved. Regardless our limited conversation because of the language barrier she had just said aloud something that I had been thinking. She had seen through me.

I'm not good at all to bring gifts or souvenirs. I didn't bring anything to my best friends when I visited Finland. To my family I brought only candy. But all my life I have had a passion – passion to give. Not material but overall to give from myself. When I was a child it had a different undeveloped form. It has driven me not only to several years of active voluntary work in humanitarian and environmental organizations, but also it has pushed me to edge of having some relatively deep thoughts about the whole concept of social responsibility as well as selfishness. (By the way I'm not going to reveal them here.)

Why to give? What do I get from giving? Do I have to get something? Young et al (Governing, leading, and managing nonprofit organisations – New insights from research and practice. 1993) have identified six motivation and satisfaction categories for volunteers.

1) the knowledge function (to learn new skills and gain new awarenesses)

2) the career function (to enhance one’s job prospects)

3) the value-expressive function (to make a difference in the world)

4) the social-adjustive function (desire for acceptance and approval in certain social groups)

5) the ego-defensive function (a need to escape personal inadequacies such as guilt)

6) esteem enhancement (growth and self-actualisation needs)

I would love to think that my motivation that has made me to come here falls to the category 3. In reality, it certainly is an interesting mixture of all the categories, and maybe more. I consider myself to be a selfish person. The more risks I take, more passion I feel. The more I give, more I feel alive. More I get.

Getting. It's all about giving.