subject: Volunteering Changes Lives - Including Your Own [print this page] Volunteering Changes Lives - Including Your Own
Have you ever noticed that people who march to the beat of their own drum tend to be the ones whose thoughts we all want to know? Freya Stark was one of those people. I'm fascinated by her, and her work has inspired me to dig a little deeper into myself.
Freya was born in 1893. As a child, she was frequently ill, so while other children were outside playing, she took to writing. At the age of 35, she left her home in England for the exotic land of Iran, where she made her first solo trek into what was aptly known as the Valley of the Assassins.
This area was considered dangerous and mysterious because a sect of Muslims, known for being murderers and thieves, inhabited the area. No Westerner had ever been known to visit that area, much less a Western woman. Freya didn't care, though, She was adventurous and loved the journey. Before her trip, she'd learned quite a bit of Arabic, so she did what came naturally to her--she talked. She made many acquaintances, who introduced her to more new people, and so her odyssey went.
Freya had no interest in teaching anyone to be more like her or to embrace her own culture. In fact, like me, she did not avail herself to the idea of being a tourist at all. She said:
One can only really travel if one lets oneself go and takes what everyplace brings without trying to turn it into a healthy private pattern of one's own and I suppose that is the difference between travel and tourism.
While she was there, she immersed herself in the local culture. She did not try to change or "better" anyone. In fact, she knew she her own life experiences had given her very few tools to survive in the Arabian desert, and that the only way to truly immerse herself in this new culture was to leave her own behind when she initially boarded the plane. She simply wanted to be to experience life another way. She later wrote:
To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.
After months of travel, she returned home and wrote a book called Valley of the Assassins. The book fueled the imaginations of thousands of people. At that time, the Great Depression had stripped millions of their savings and dreams, and Nazi Germany was newly arising. The notion of leaving reality behind and exploring a whole new world full of mystery and excitement created such a desire that people couldn't get enough. She caught the attention of England's Royal Geographical Society, which picked up the tab for her travels for years to come. Her growing collection of published books were so well received that both she and the publisher who first recognized her potential grew quite rich.
What I love about Freya's story is this: Her passion did not develop out of a desire to become rich. Had money been her goal, she would not have had the passion to do the work she did. Her satisfaction was always in actually doing; her writing was only a means to do more. In fact, she wrote:
There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do.
As a volunteer organization, we share Freya's passion and thoughts on travel. We don't do the work for the money; we do the work because we have passion for what we are doing. I have often said, "We're not in it to make big money, we're in it to make a big difference."
I get so much satisfaction out of seeing people learn not just about different cultures, but about themselves when they volunteer. When someone is removed from everything they have and everything they know, they are left with only themselves. What they learn about that person makes for amazing growth and fulfillment.
By looking at the world though a lens of compassion and an openness, you, too, can learn things about yourself and others you never imagined. Not only will have the opportunity to make a difference in, perhaps, the life of a child or a sick person, but you will leave your project transformed in ways only you will realize.
