The community service office here at Phillips Academy offers a variety of ways for students to get involved with the community and service work. Projects vary in focus, from working with kids to helping the elderly. Others get students involved with the homeless and still others with the environment. They vary in length; and some are off campus, in Lawrence or elsewhere, while others take place on campus. Most students take part in a community service project at some point during their PA career. Why kids do community service is a difficult and complicated question. I’m sure some students honestly want to help out and get involved with life outside the PA community. I’m just as sure that others do it to beef up their college resumes. But, if somebody only does community service to improve their chances of getting into a good school, doesn’t the community still benefit from their work? Does it matter what one’s motives are for doing community service or giving to a charitable cause, if the end product of their efforts is still the same? When participating in community service projects that require interacting with people, however, a volunteer’s passion and interest in their work will affect their performance. Disinterest could easily be perceived and result in a rift between the two involved, creating feelings of guilt for taking somebody’s time, or anger at the volunteer for their aloof behavior. Regardless, people are left with a negative impression of community service volunteers. Ultimately, it is harmful to the integrity of the school’s community service office, as well as the people whom it serves. Surely, there is some self-interest in everything students do, including “selfless” community service endeavors. Even those who genuinely want to get involved and feel passionate about certain causes, derive some self-satisfaction from the work that they do. This fulfillment stems from the knowledge that they are doing something that society smiles upon as morally “good.” In this case, self-interest is relatively minimal when compared with the college apps incentive; satisfaction is a major by-product of the work or donations. It may or may not be a major motive, but it is a factor. The same satisfaction from doing something for the good and improvement of society won’t likely occur when service is done simply for college apps. If community service is truly about non sibi, should we all strive to reach this giving, in which self-interest is limited to self-satisfaction? Let us leave PA-type community service for a moment and discuss charitable donations. Money has a constant value, regardless of any feelings attached to it. Giving money to get a building named after you, or for public recognition, does just as much good as money donated anonymously. Only the individual truly knows his motives, and only he is truly affected by them. A donation made out of pure self-interest certainly will not spark the same self-satisfaction of doing something good. However, if one gives for selfless reasons, but (although only his subconscious may realize it) in order to experience self-satisfaction, is this not just as selfish, granted it is a private rather than public selfishness? Still, the question remains of what it means to improve society, to help others, and to help oneself. These three phenomena are really one. And it is this realization that allows one to be self-motivated in an indirect, efficient and helpful way. John F. Kennedy said that “if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” Everybody benefits from improvements in society. Improving the quality of life of those less fortunate will ultimately lead to better lives for those who are blessed with financial stability. The acknowledgement that community interest is the purest form of self-interest spurs honest and genuine interest in community work and affairs. Self-interest is and will always be a factor in everything we do. The important thing is to shape it and direct it in the most productive and beneficial ways for oneself. Ironically, this also is the most beneficial way for the community. To do “good” for public recognition or to get self-satisfaction are the natural, thoughtless, and automatic emotional reactions of men. We have all done this and we will most likely do it again sometime in our lives. But, if we take a moment to define self-interest and think thoroughly about the way out society runs, we can try to shape our motives for donations and community service in the best way. We will ultimately realize that community interest is the most perfect form of self-interest. Though the process may be longer and lack instant gratification, it is ultimately more stable and highly more beneficial.
