What I Know... Part I

Take what you want... but you have to share it with the world...

-Slakah Da Beatchild "Share"

"I just want to help people"... this is probably the most dangerous statement on the face of this planet. I am willing to bet that this is even more dangerous than "I just dont give a damn". At least with the latter you have the high probability of going down alone. With the former, collateral damage is inevitable. As I tried to explain this to our poor clueless 22 year old Jesuit Volunteer, I found myself reaffirming what I know for sure: You cant help people if you arent happy while doing it. One of the things that is hiding in plain sight in the Christian doctrine is that God will not judge you based on your works in this life; God will judge you based on your heart. Where was your heart in the midst of "helping people". As a reformed nonprofiteer, I know first hand that we all start off with the well intentioned desire to help people but somewhere along the way we lose heart for it. And instead of recognizing how detrimental our unhappiness is, we hide under that ever ubiquitous guise of obligation to "helping people". Somewhere along the way in my own journey I remembered the rule they tell you on a plane if you lose oxygen: Secure your own face mask before you help someone else. That seemingly sounds selfish but the truth is that you cant help anyone unless you have first helped yourself. When our primary focus and usually only focus is to help people, we attempt put their oxygen masks on first resting our own survival in the hands of fate. Most times we die inside and we take the people we aim to help, down with us. Well what does this all mean? It means that "helping people" should never be your focus. Your focus, as selfish as it may sound, is to find happiness in this life in whatever you do and trust that your happiness will radiate. This doesnt entail some mystical universal alignment as taught by those new age spiritualist. Its all pretty simple, honestly-If you are happy you will more than likely want to share that happiness with those around you; therein lies your desire to "help people". Its a secondary effect in all of this. Helping people at no time should be a chore. It should be a manifestation of your heart- it should reflect what is in your heart: love. You should love what you do and do what you love, knowing that love is effervescent, like alka seltzer in water- it changes everything around it. Now to clarify, there is a strong distinction between happiness and hedonism. This isnt about getting what you want. Its not about a carnal profane want. Its about allowing your soul to find balance, guiding you to where you truly need to be. Here is where you will find your place in history because believe it or not God gave us all room to shine and leave our mark. I wanted the JV to know that my three pronged approach is more a flow chart... find what you love first, knowing that you will want to share it with the world, and the world around you changes; thus adding something new to God's perfect design. The design is perfect because its not static; its always open for positive change and interpretation based on your spiritual happiness. In the end that is all God ever really wants for us- to be happy. So what I know is that the desire to help people is never enough unless comes from a happy heart. Do what makes your heart truly happy.