Our new "Service" economy

It doesn't matter where you get your news or how you get it. If you went looking for news right now, you would undoubtedly find something about our current economic crisis. It seems like every day there is another well known establishment cutting jobs or announcing huge fourth quarter losses for 2008 (today on Yahoo!, it's Berkshire Hathaway reporting $3.25 billion in unrealized losses.) Doom and gloom seem to be the order of the day for our once flourishing service based economy. Now, however, hope is emerging once again as our country embraces another kind of service: the voluntary kind.



The good folks at MSNBC are reporting that in these tough times, volunteering is "on the rise." The articles (two of them, see links below) report that, "Volunteer organizations such as the Peace Corps and Teach for America say the floundering economy and President Barack Obama's call for service have led to a major increase in applications." In the second article, it is reported that 56% of teens are volunteering to support charities while only 39% have part time jobs (based on a randomized national telephone survey.)



One article reports Micheal Brown, the CEO of the non profit City Year, as having said, "It's not just a matter of needing employment, which I think is still important, but there's something in a declining economy that clarifies all our values." I don't think that I could agree more with that statement. We have seen this time and time again throughout the history of our nation. When hard times strike, our priorities are better set and our perspectives are realligned.



The young people of our nation are standing up for what they feel is right. They're stepping up to make a change. They're going out into our communities to see what they can give instead of seeking what they can take. They are volunteering their time, energy and resources to better their communities and the world. In doing so they are serving the common purpose, and improving the quality of life for people everywhere. It is as if they have been awoken from a slumber not only to find their house in decay, but also to find the tools with which to fix it. Could this awakening have come at a better time?



Granted, I do believe that fixing our economy will take more than community service. However, with that being said, I think this recession would be well worth it if it could build a culture of service within our generation. To this point, we've built a society that runs on goods and services. Do we have it within us to build a society that runs on the goodness of service? I certainly hope so.



Think about this: goods and services can go away. The very definition of a recession is that our productivity (the rate at which we make goods and services) is in decline. Thus, we have less stuff. Is that anything on which to base a culture? It can disappear in the blink of an eye. Cultures endure through traditions, values and beliefs. They should be based on something that will last, and on something that we can all take part in and contribute to. The youth have shown a desire to improve their communities and the world, as evidenced by these articles. I think that a new culture of service is emerging that will outlast our bad times and even last into the good ones.

So, for those of you who were wondering how you could help the world without donating millions to fight polio, this is it. It's great that we have a President who is emphasizing service; however, changes of culture have to come from the bottom up. It's up to the people, and not the leadership, to develop culture and change it for the better. This is a development that would be unlike any other, and I hope we can make it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29263824

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29371988/#storyContinued