Salvation Army Bell Ringing

While I was in high school one of the things I was told over and over again was that many schools require community service. So to help us fulfill this requirement they offered a community service club which was called the Leo Club...like the Lions Club. Through the year Leo Club would offer many different community service projects that you could sign up for....some of these included volunteering at pancake breakfasts, spaghetti suppers, going Christmas shopping for families in need, bell ringing, car wash, etc, etc. To keep track of your community service you would be given an hour for every hour you participated…for bell ringing because it was always freezing you would get two hours for every hour you participated. And when you graduated whoever had the most hours in the class you get a special reward or scholarship but I believe all the members received some kind of scholarship. Although it sounds like once you joined you had to participate in something this is not the case, you just benefitted more if you did. I know how many students that were a part of the Leo Club who didn’t participate in any community service opportunities.

So one of the very popular activities we did every year was helped the Salvation Army with their bell ringing during the holiday season outside the front of the local Wal-Mart. But as I mentioned above it never failed no matter what day you signed up for it was always freezing and the blowing wind didn’t help. Not only that sometimes the bells would break. Plus it was really disappointing if you didn’t get that many donations. But in the end it was rewarding because you knew that whatever money you did raise was going to help someone. I can’t say this is true for everyone but at least for me it also made me think of the less fortunate and made me realize how good I have and how much more I should appreciate what I do have. Although I was shivering and wished I could be inside someplace warm I enjoyed my experience and it made me happy.

Question:

Why do you think people take for granted what they have and complain all the time, wishing they had more and something better…why do people so easily forget about the less fortunate (like the poor starving children when we throw away food like it’s no big deal)???