At a recent business expo in Mukilteo, Washington I had a chance meeting with the highly inspirational chairman of Electroimpact Peter Zieve, a man who I have respected for many years and someone who I have actually talked about on this blog. During our chat I spoke to him about a recent report I had read in the Herald about the erosion of community and the lack of people giving back. Now Peter has done great work in communities throughout Washington with a sports program and a community based campaign that he has rolled out from Mukilteo to Seattle, so I was curious to get his thoughts on this piece of news. In his view it was a little bit sensational but he did agree that more can be done in communities. In his view we should all be giving back where possible and here is why.
Erosion
This statement about communities being eroded is true, things just aren’t the way that they were 50 years ago. Instead of losing our communities and allowing them to be eroded however, we should come together and work as one so that we can all improve. Giving back to your community is a great way to bridge the gap between young and old and between those who have and those who haven’t.
Could Be You
We never know when we might need to rely on our community should we fall on hard times, and wouldn’t it be nice to know that there is someone there who you can lean on? The plight that many people face is often not through their own doing and coming together as a community is about helping these people.
Politics
Politics has failed communities throughout the country and many have struggled as a result of greedy politicians and men and women who care more about career progression that lifting up the community. We however, as a community, do not need these politicians in order for us to come together and work towards a common goal. We have to take things into our own hands and this is why when business owners, professionals and members of the community give back, we can make such a difference in our local area.
Feeling Good
Whilst this should never be the motive behind you helping out and giving back in the community, but you will feel very good about yourself when you do so. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the feeling that you have helped others and if you believe in karma then you can feel as though you have certainly put some positive karma in the bank. You will feel good and so you should, helping out in the community is noble and warm hearted and more people should also look at what they can do to give back to their community.
Whether the gesture is small or large, it will certainly be valuable.