The Dilemma of Helping: Volunteering, Business, and Real Problems
Volunteering is often seen as an act of kindness, a way to give back. But for many, the concept is tangled with contradictions. Some struggle to make ends meet yet dedicate time to helping others. Meanwhile, those who are financially stable often contribute in ways that maintain their distance. This divide—between being personally involved and providing limited assistance—raises the question: What does meaningful help really look like?
The Limits of Volunteering
There’s a common belief that volunteering should be done without expectation of personal gain. But how practical is that? Money is necessary to survive. Time spent volunteering is time not spent earning a living. Many people who volunteer the most are the same ones who can least afford it. They break the so-called rules of volunteering—rules that suggest one should help without attachment, without stepping too close to the real problems at hand.
The wealthy, on the other hand, often contribute in ways that maintain a buffer. Donations, fundraisers, limited engagements—these are ways to help while staying removed from the actual struggles people face. It’s efficient, but is it effective?
A Disconnect Between Wealth and Direct Action
Successful people don’t typically abandon years of business training to get involved in the messy details of social issues. They delegate. They fund initiatives. They create systems that, while helpful, often keep them from engaging with the root of the problem. This isn’t necessarily a flaw; it’s how large-scale solutions operate. But does it actually solve anything?
Historically, true change comes from direct involvement. Jesus, for instance, didn’t issue a grant or create a nonprofit. He engaged with people, face to face, meeting them where they were. But personal involvement is costly, both financially and emotionally. It’s risky. And in many cases, those who get personally involved burn out, because systems aren’t designed to support individual sacrifice at scale.
What Problems Are Worth Solving?
Not every issue is real—at least not in the way people perceive it. Some problems are rooted in perception, misunderstanding, or circumstances that can’t be changed. But others are undeniable. Waste, for example. Millions of dollars are spent on holiday decorations that are discarded weeks later. It fuels an industry, provides jobs, and supports an economy, but at what environmental cost?
This isn’t about shaming consumption. It’s about recognizing contradictions. Helping others, making money, and addressing social problems are all interwoven, but they often work against each other.
Complexity in Personal and Social Issues
Beyond economics and volunteering, personal relationships highlight similar contradictions. Many want stable marriages, but mental illness, financial struggles, and differing worldviews complicate things. Who gets to decide the right course of action in these situations? There isn’t a clear answer, just as there isn’t one for how to help effectively on a societal level.
Rethinking Involvement
If business-minded individuals were willing to immerse themselves directly in solving social problems, could real change happen? Possibly. But it would require a shift in priorities. It would mean stepping away from structured, distanced assistance and facing issues head-on, without guarantees of success or return on investment.
Perhaps the problem isn’t that people don’t want to help. Maybe it’s that the way we’ve structured our economy, our relationships, and our view of volunteering makes real change difficult. And if that’s the case, what needs to change first?
