Another form of Service

I do not always have time to go out and volunteer at my local soup kitchen or build houses for the poor. While I love to get out there and get my hands dirty, my school schedule just doesn't allow for it and I'm stuck doing these things on breaks and during the summer.

I have been actively looking for alternative forms of service, and I have found several ways to do it. Lots of times, I can get it in the form of doing musical favors. I sing for my friend's events, I'm part of an organization that will go around and sing at retirement homes and children's homes. Also, though, I find myself still not able to do that as much as I'd like. I was thinking to myself, what could I do just whenever I can? My first thought was that it should be on the computer. My second is that it should have something to do with therapy, because I LOVE listening.

Listening!

It's a unique form of service. We in the clergy do it all the time! I can tell you countless stories of the people I've vented to and the people who vent to me.

Check out your friendly google and find sites that will allow you to become a "listener". If you've ever wanted to be a counselor but can't get all the training, you can BE that ear that people need.

It's very flexible to your time schedule. It's very enjoyable and rewarding. And, it doesn't take a long time to train skills.. it just requires some patience.

There are ways of serving when you can't do the obvious.

Connor,

I agree with your post, as a matter of fact, My goal is to earn both of the titles you currently possess here and would like to share an interest to become clergy here when I am done with my IP. ( halfway through currently) My untimate goal is to oneday carry the titles of "knight" "Councilor" and "Licenced Minister"

I used to volunteer doing Service To Armed Forces bringing service men and women home for family emergencies. It was the best non-paid job I had.

I would love to volunteer my time to just "talk to" and try to comfort those that have just been in a natural disaster, or just because they need someone to talk to and "vent" in a support role.

Being a Stay at home mom with two kids and no car. I literally CANT (For now) Go out into my town and do all those highlighted charity events.

I can however provide it to the Jedi community. Which is why I do the things I do, history, directories, contacts, information. We have opened our home to people who needed a roof to sleep under, given them our food, got them jobs.

Every once in a great while (Especiouly during winter) We will take the kids to the humane society to see all the dogs and kitties looking for homes. While we are there we drop off the baby blankets our girls grew out of, buy the kitties a little $2 cat nip toy for the kids to give them, play and pet the dogs and kitties for human interaction and friendship.

Charity and Service Comes in all forms, shapes and sizes....they don't have to be the staple bulletin board fund raising charity runs and drives.

What IS important however is that people Know we are doing it.

Why is this important? Not for self elivation and to look cool. But because that is what Jedi do. And that is what the public expects.

Part of the questions I got for the American Jedi Documentary was "What sort of Service Programs does the Jedi do?" Made me look stupid coz all I could do was point to Chicago Jedi "Soooo.....They are the only groups in the community that actually does public service?" ..........

Kitsu Tails wrote: Part of the questions I got for the American Jedi Documentary was "What sort of Service Programs does the Jedi do?" Made me look stupid coz all I could do was point to Chicago Jedi "Soooo.....They are the only groups in the community that actually does public service?" ..........

I think service is good, however I don't think we should be making a song and a dance out loud about service just because someone else expects us to. If someone asks you about service, say that service is considered something that doesn't require advertisement because the emphasise in service is not on the provider but the user. But then, I don't think we should be all that worried about what other people think of Jedi anyway.

Kitsu,

I can understand. I am a stay at home Dad. I am disabiled ( epilepsy and cerebral palsy) and live in a small town in GA ( population 2,500) the most excitement I have here is watching the snails race to the music of dueling Banjos.

What kind of service programs do jedi do?

Well for me, service is opening a door for a lady, being nice and saying can I help you with that at walmart. in short, the greatest service we can provide is to " Do unto others as you would unto you" We all have had people in our life we did things for "just because" Mine was my Grandma. If my grandma asked me "Will, could you please....( insert request here) I.E. reach a dish, help with a chore, I would do it. I'm sure there were people in all our lives like that. What makes it so different or strange or wrong to do it or at least offer it to a stranger? isn't that considered service? why can't just doing a kind deed for someone be service? why does it HAVE TO BE through a "volunteer organization"

Jedi are based on a type of theatrical drama , Star wars made it into something else. The truest defintion of a jedi in my opinion, ( historically speaking) would be a Samurai. Samurai did help their community, but they did it because it was just the right thing to do . I've seen posts about asking what Jedi do. and I don't think the subject is really about what we do, I think it hits on more wanting to be "taken seriously". I mean let's be honest here...if someone that goes to a baptist church is out in public with his or her friends talking about religion, "what faith are you?" and then it comes around for me to answer and I proudly say "I am a Jedi" i'm going to kill the conversation because everyone will go silent because they do not know what to say, or they will laugh , or they will give me the " ok, excuse me while i go to the bathroom and call the looney bin on you because you have clearly fallen off your rocker" look . I am proud to call myself a Jedi, but the rest of the world considers us a fad, or some kind of joke that was brought into light because of a census. I believe that we don't need to prove what we do really, more to the point that we are just as much a serious religion as Wicca, or buddism. We do not need to "prove ourselves" we just need to get the facts out of who we are. We need to get the mental picture of Obi-wan kenobi in full jedi garb out of their heads when they hear "i'm a Jedi" and look at us for what we truly are " Just one human being helping out another" no different than if that same person had said "I am a christian" "I am a Buhddist" "I am a Mormon" it honestly should'nt matter what the religion is, just that we are Kind and "human" for those who us that are older than yoda and remember the old G.I. Joe cartoon " And knowing is half the battle" well, it our case it may not be a bad idea. ( sorry for any mis-spelled words, my mind shuts down and goes Jar-Jar mesa mucho crazy if it lacks coffee lol )

I agree with everyone about how the small things count just as much as the big "look, I'm volunteering" tasks do. Sometimes more so ...

What counts the most is that helping hand we offer because it is just the right thing to do (often forgetting about it a second later). This is not to say that we do it mindlessly, but just in the natural course of events - doing for others what we have in front of us to do.

I really liked your testimony, Kitsu, of visiting the humane society, for it is all too often when we think of 'volunteering', 'charity' or just 'helping' one another, we often exclude our non-human cousins who suffer as much as we can, certainly from emotional/connectedness neglect.

And Connor, the singing for people in places is not only a wonderful way to share your talent, but it is also a hallmark exercise in empathy. Keep it going like that, lad !

Yet, it is also true that we would not want to be doing it because "Jedi do this" (albeit that is true). We do it because it is the 'next right thing' to do, then forget it. It comes, it goes ... We do not need a reputation to live up to or defend. But, by doing what is the humane, compassionate, empathetic thing to do, discreetly and humbly, then we are establishing ourselves probably better than if we were in all the papers as the "heroes of the week".

Thank you, Alex, for your comments.

Aye....If I ever get my own Mobility (A car :laugh: ) I hope to do "Public Service" for the Animals/Nature side of things. My goal is to build a few Feral Cat houses for my yard, we have a really big yard and several ferals running about. Saw one this winter when we had a sheet of Ice cover the top of our knee deep snow layer. Poor thing was trying to walk across slipping and sliding the whole way...he looked a complete mess. But got away before I could catch him and never saw him again So it's my hope to be more prepared this winter

Heck. Even just the simple act of hanging a few bird feeders and houses is SOMETHING.

Go plant a tree even The "Jedi Groot" Contest :lol: