“A servant’s heart” is what I’m told makes great volunteers, and I was around plenty of them over the summer. To have a servant’s heart is often defined as having humility, showing compassion for others and being selfless and generous to those in need.
For over 75 years, the charity organization I interned with this past summer has been run almost exclusively by volunteers and continues to offer help and assistance to those in need. I met volunteers at their three different food pantries, their rental and utility assistance office, their transitional housing facility, the dining room of their unsheltered ministries and at their clothing, furniture and appliance distribution center.
Amid the impressive feats and accomplishments by these amazing volunteers, what also surrounded me was a sort of uneasiness in the long-term future of the nonprofit; there always seemed to be a lack of volunteers. Across the various programs, every ministry was on the lookout for potential “servant hearts” to step in and continue their work. An executive shared with me this is the case for nearly all nonprofits across the country; people simply don’t volunteer anymore.
Culturally, this phenomenon can be attributed to all sorts of economic, social, religious and political changes. But what’s consistent in all of these factors is the increasing normalization and encouragement of individualism within the U.S.
The influx of individualistic tendencies can be witnessed in nearly every industry, not just in the effects on nonprofit organizations. It’s the cultural pressure of personal achievement and superiority, the motivating drive for a better career or lifestyle, the polarizing and radical political ideologies, the drastic decrease of religious community or affiliations and even the encouragement of selfish tendencies in mainstream movies, television shows and social media.
This is not to say individualism is entirely bad. Such a philosophy produces beneficial outlooks on acceptance, tolerance and self-expression, and competition with others generates (ideally) greater success rates and greater quality of life. Many of our rights and freedoms in the U.S. are based on individualistic principles. And in some twisted capitalistic way, our economy generally benefits from individualistic consumerism.
What I will say, however, is the instant gratification of convenience has allowed for external interaction and communication to hold less importance in our society. Yes, with fear of sounding like someone of the boomer generation, online relationships and interactions are not nearly as impactful on our well-being as face-to-face interaction. We see less of others when we order groceries or food online or when meetings are held on Zoom calls. Instead of relying on human connection for entertainment, we find comfort in our online entertainment through streaming media on our phones or computers. As college students, with so much of our research at our fingertips, we interact less with our peers, professors, librarians and other expert researchers.
Our generation has seen parks degenerate, local stores close and theaters on the verge of bankruptcy. Third spaces have diminished drastically, and spontaneous interactions with strangers feel nearly socially unacceptable.
Such a loss of human connection directly correlates to a lack of empathy or compassion for others. Look it up. Ironically, there are plenty of YouTube video essays on how individualism has negatively impacted our nation. What’s more interesting is the finding by professors Yuji Ogihara and Yukiko Uchida that an individual orientation negatively impacts subjective well-being in students from Japan and the U.S. in a 2014 psychology study.
I believe we see less of the needs of others because we physically don’t see others anymore. We are so consumed with ourselves and how to personally achieve more, to better ourselves and to make our lives more convenient that we’ve lost what it means to fight for and care for others. And that is why the servant’s heart is dying.
As the needs and injustices in our country continue to grow, they must be met with those who are willing to fulfill those needs and enact justice. If we want to see change in the way people are treated and offer relief to those suffering hardship, we must bring the change, and we must offer relief. Even more simply, if you want greater human interaction and to find community, you must go and find your community.
I called for something very similar in an opinion column around this time last year, for us to put aside time to volunteer and make positive impacts in our community. Don’t allow the needs of others to fall to the wayside. Choose to pour out radical love in the face of apathy. Support methodical collectivism over mainstream individualism. We need more servant hearts in our community in order for our community to thrive. Don’t watch as your servant’s heart dies, but use it, and use it for selfless good.
