Helping Others Can Change the World

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” Everett Edward Hale

Hale’s quote has always resonated with me. I used this mentality to help develop my life philosophy of the importance of helping others. Growing up I was taught that helping others before you help yourself is the right thing to do. I believe helping others is something I can do and will do to make this world a better place. I have always been willing to drop what I am doing and help a friend. In school, I helped friends write papers the day before they were due, when mine needed work. The satisfaction of helping others is not only extremely gratifying but an emotionally affirming experience.

In 2003, my family took our first family ski trip to Garmisch, Germany. We got to the slopes at the crack of dawn just as the sun began breaking over the ridge of the mountain. After thirty minutes of lessons, I had finally worked up the courage to go to the top of the mountain. After two hours of falling down, I finally got the hang of snowboarding. Hours later I noticed three men sitting in the snow halfway down the mountain. I snowboarded over and started to talk to them. After hearing that they did not know how to snowboard, I volunteered my services telling them that I had just learned that morning. I spent the next two hours teaching them the basic skills that I had barely known, so they could make it down the mountain. After an hour, they said thanks and went inside the resort to get warm and eat. I found out later that night that my dad had talked to them. He said, ” They were soldiers on R and R from Iraq, and they had greatly appreciated my help.”

In 2009 while deployed to Afghanistan, I felt great pleasure in helping children in the area. While on missions in isolated villages of Afghanistan, we gave out candy and water to local children. Most of the children had never seen American Forces before. We assisted helping two young boys get their wagon out of a ditch that had flooded during a storm. It made me feel a great pride in what I did while serving overseas.

I believe that helping others in small ways makes the world a better place. Everyone needs help from someone at some point. The feeling of helping others not only makes me feel emotionally complete but is an enjoyable experience as well. Helping others makes the quality of my life better and those I help. I know I am only one man, and I may not be able to change the whole world, but as I know from personal experience, you never know when a piece of candy can change someone’s life forever.