Introduction
Everything that surrounds a person undoubtedly shapes their identity. Since everyone has their perception of accomplishments, occurrences, and people in their lives, I firmly believe that the same things can evolve the identities of multiple people in entirely different ways. Speaking of my own experience, one thing that has truly changed and shaped me as a person was volunteering. I have always considered myself a hardworking person who likes to help others but prefers working alone.
Discussion
Although I have the qualities of a good leader, I often have trouble communicating and cooperating with others. Being a curious person, I decided to apply for a volunteering program at the Red Cross organization to gain experience in volunteering in the medical sphere. One thing that shaped my identity during the program was diversity. It was easy to assume that the whole volunteering process would be focused solely on simple tasks and centered around one specific topic. And while that was partially the case, I have been surprised by the differences I have encountered when working with other volunteers. Speaking to each person individually, I have found myself appreciating the differences between our cultural upbringings, moral and core values, and perception of the world. I have realized that “Shared social identities also enable group members to coordinate their actions and achieve their goals more effectively” (Gray & Stevenson 344). I believe that this diversity, along with the experiences that I have encountered, helped me learn how to cooperate and communicate with people while appreciating different opinions.
Due to my volunteer work, I have reflected on my identity and its connection with diversity and other people surrounding me. The primary purpose of the paragraph above is that variety can be seen among seemingly similar persons. Even when it appears that we have similar origins and ideals, we may still learn from one another by acknowledging and respecting our differences. A shared human experience can bring people who appear to be very different.
Conclusion
To conclude, I have come to an understanding of my purpose because of my volunteering experience, which is my ability to help others and cooperate with different people and learn how to be a part of a community. As time passes, I want to acquire knowledge of people’s differences, hear their tales, and understand their origins while also making spaces for individuals to share experiences that unite them.
Work Cited
Gray, Debra, and Clifford Stevenson. “How can ‘we’ help? Exploring the role of shared social identity in the experiences and benefits of volunteering”. Community & applied social psychology, vol. 30, no. 4, 2019, pp. 343-353.