In this blog post, I will summarize what I learned and felt based on the academic efforts I made during high school, my school activities, and my experiences with compassion and giving.
Understanding the flow reveals the whole picture
I actually preferred applied subjects over memorization-based ones. Although I could memorize things faster than my classmates, I would forget them just as quickly. That’s why memorization-based subjects were always a source of stress for me. However, to properly study and understand the social studies subjects I enjoyed—especially Ethics—it was crucial to have a solid grasp of the broader context. So one day, driven by the determination to memorize the entire Ethics curriculum, I began organizing the subject by historical period and philosopher in a sketchbook. My thinking was, “Let’s just start organizing it; then I’ll be able to memorize it.” But I couldn’t quite figure out whether I should organize it by era or by philosopher. Eventually, I thought, “Oh well, if I don’t know, let’s just do both,” and I spent the entire summer break focusing on organizing the material. I organized the material once by historical period and once by philosopher. I also organized it once by similar schools of thought and created a relationship chart of philosophers who influenced one another to organize it yet another time. And after organizing it four times like that, surprisingly, I was able to memorize the entire ethics course. Things that wouldn’t stick no matter how hard I tried to memorize them had finally stuck. With that, I felt a sense of pride at having memorized the entire ethics course, but I also had a question. Why did I manage to memorize things that had eluded me despite all my previous efforts, simply by organizing them without actually trying to memorize them? Moreover, as what I had memorized during the break continued to stay with me throughout the following semester, my curiosity grew even more. As I pondered this, I eventually realized that I had been overlooking the importance of grasping the “overall flow.” Before memorizing anything, I needed to grasp the overall context first. Only then could the material I was memorizing form a coherent system. And thanks to the fact that I had stubbornly established that system during the break, I was able to memorize the entire ethics course. Once I realized this, I was able to study more easily by memorizing things more smoothly.
The one thing I really didn’t want to do: volunteer work
The one thing I really didn’t want to do was volunteer work. The reason was that I had received a lot of help myself. I had received many items from the church and people around me because my family was struggling, but I hated the idea of just accepting those things and becoming complacent, and I also felt uncomfortable about receiving help. That’s why I didn’t want to do volunteer work. Of course, there are places where volunteer work is needed, but I also thought that receiving help could hurt one’s self-esteem, and especially from a child’s perspective, the act of receiving help itself could be hurtful. It could feel like begging, and that’s exactly how I felt. So, I didn’t have a very positive view of volunteer work itself. However, my perspective changed as I met good people and friends while doing volunteer work. In particular, my perspective shifted when I started volunteering under the guidance of Mr. ○○○, who was both my homeroom teacher and my ethics teacher. I realized that there are people who simply cannot survive without volunteering or the help of others. In other words, my perspective had been narrow-minded. There were people who truly couldn’t do anything on their own, and they desperately needed help. Realizing this, I came to understand that my previous way of thinking had been too limited. I also learned that there are people who sincerely appreciate and actively seek help. Unlike me, who was so preoccupied with saving face, there were people who were genuinely grateful and wanted to pass on the help they received to others. Seeing these diverse perspectives on helping others changed my view of volunteer work and made me realize that everyone thinks differently.
How to cooperate? By giving in a little
As I grew attached to volunteer work, I began to enjoy group life for the first time in my life. Since volunteering is a group activity, building strong relationships with friends is crucial. And as I lived comfortably with friends who showed consideration, I learned that the most important thing in group life is “consideration.” If everyone just says, “I want to do this,” or “I don’t want to do this; I want to rest,” those arguments would never end. Eventually, no one would be left to do the work, and if everyone kept putting it off, there would be no one left to do it at all. But when we make concessions to one another, there seems to be a “power” in that concession. Once someone gives in, others see it, learn from it, and start giving in too. I realized this while cleaning a senior center with my friends. Although it was hard work for everyone, no one ever complained; instead, we cleaned happily and took turns doing the tough tasks. That’s when our efforts truly shone. Everyone tried their best to help one another, and instead of putting off the hard work, they took it upon themselves to do it. As a result, we were able to finish the work faster than any other team that had come for volunteer work.
Actively Participating in Donation Activities
A heartbreaking story reached our school. We received news that a friend from a lower grade, who had been laughing and chatting with us just a short while ago, had been diagnosed with leukemia. Although this friend had a history of illness, they had been showing signs of recovery and were nearly fully healed; however, their condition suddenly worsened, and they could no longer come to school. To make matters worse, they needed further treatment, but the costs of the treatment they’d already received were astronomical, leaving them with no funds left for further care. So, the idea of making a donation came up, and we all agreed. As a result, our grade raised a considerable amount of money. Even if we weren’t in the same class, we all knew the student’s face or name, and everyone who heard the news felt as heartbroken as if it were their own problem and donated. However, it was obvious that the first-year students at the time, as well as the third-year seniors, didn’t know him very well and therefore showed less interest. But we realized that only by combining the efforts of the underclassmen and the seniors could we raise an amount close to the surgery costs, so I actively participated in the fundraising campaign to promote the donations. Morning and evening, I stood guard at the donation box, calling out a greeting to encourage donations. I also created posters and put them up in places where students frequently gathered, such as the cafeteria and the school store, to raise awareness of the difficult situation. Through this effort, I realized that once people learned of the situation, they would almost always donate and offer help. I came to understand why people say that compassion is inherent in human nature. Once people learned of the difficult circumstances—and especially that a student at our school was facing such a situation—many stepped forward to help on their own initiative. As upperclassmen became aware of the situation, donations began to pour in. One of them advised us to contact the alumni association, which allowed us to collect donations from alumni as well. In this way, people are willing to help those in need, even if the situation doesn’t directly involve them. It was an experience that restored my faith in humanity.
