Super Hero creations started several decades back and they still continue with their sequels, trilogies and re-creations. A strange thing to note is how their stories changed. From just being popcorn flicks where 2 super powers collide and those ‘Bam’ ‘Paw’ ‘Poof’ sounds to today’s more realistic heroes who have greater challenges, larger villains and deeper painful stories that relate to current society. All of this helps gain great box office numbers. However somewhere in the box office of your mind this leaves an impression of how bad/greedy the world is and how it will require a saviour to change things.

Without further ado let me jump back directly on to things I don’t like about Super Hero Flicks!

First and most important is – It’s just about the Super Heroes who save the world.

The one super human in a cape or a handful of Avengers, who decide the fate of humanity. That’s insane. Most revolutions and challenges have a happy ending because of one phrase “Team Work”. And when I mean team work it’s not just limited to the Batman-Robin type couplets, what I mean is every person who is under the pain participates to convert it into pleasure. No leaders possess great physical strengths, what they possess is acumen to drive masses and make them realize the power of one.

That brings me to point 2.

Most villains and super human problems are either created by crack pot characters OR someone from the outside world.

The issue here is the problems we face in today’s world are far bigger but doesn’t catch off the Super Hero limelight. What will you regret – Dying with a alien power, OR dying because of inter country ego issues caused by a moron leader who looks and works like a human being? Option one in all sanity might never occur, option two is what we fight with on a daily basis! Super Heroes have super problems they can move mountains but they can’t budge the psychology and egos of people who participate in mass massacres all in the name of peace and spirituality.

Third off the hook is, Super Heroes aren’t great leaders

They don’t know how to awaken masses and influence them. The power of one seems to overshadow the power of many! All we as citizens are supposed to do is clap when the super hero completes his job and signs off with that flying move up in the air!

Okay, so enough of it. What point am I actually trying to make here?

What’s the BIG PROBLEM?

It’s simple. While we have idolized Super Heroes, at the same time we have become lazy. With bigger problems we have now unconsciously accepted that our problems can be solved by Super Heroes only! Look at the political campaigns; they seem to rely on one candidate which will change the face of the nation. Is that really possible? Look at the way these leaders are promoted! Heroism has taken a mass adoption route.

So who should we really idolize and look up to?

Why rely on Super Heroes when we have our own Heroes! Tweet This

The biggest problem every country ever had was its struggle to Freedom, and in case if you have read enough about your national freedom you know few facts straight. Let me highlight that about India.

1. No single process was followed. Some created military forces to fight for freedom, some created non-violence movements and some pushed things in a political route.
2. No single person was in charge. It wasn’t a bureaucrat company with a CEO; it was a heterogeneous team where everyone tried to do their bit
3. No idea was un-due debated on TV channels and social media. Things were done, executed and evolved
4. The only reason we are free because the forefathers of each one of us retaliated for what was rightfully ours!

Some sacrifices were made at individual levels but what triumphed above all was team work. Or rather Country Work! Today we prefer debating on things then working; that’s sad.

Where is the Light at the end of the tunnel?

Things for god’s sake have improved drastically. We are all well connected. We are more learned. More mature and more understanding. At the same time the problems we face have dropped down significantly. Like free birds we can roam in our countries and do what we are passionate to do.

Problems ahead of us are simpler if not simple. Driving democracy and governance in our country, ensuring equality in society and raising voice for what is right! This requires less effort and fewer sacrifices. Question then is, Are we ready to do that? Do we want to do what our heart pushes us to? Or we want to sit down because our mind pulls us down giving ‘genuine’ reasons for not doing what should be done.

The choice is yours. Will you like to lend a hand and participate in something which can create impact way beyond your imagination? Will you like to do your bit and be called a Hero! Or just fantasize things in dreams of someday being a super hero?

The choice is yours. Be a Hero, That’s enough! Super Heroes are for fantasies.
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One of the common feelings we all have is our dissatisfaction towards the state of the society and how things work. We always felt the need and we were always vocal about the same! But somehow we the people don’t deliver in Volunteering.

As a team most aligned with Volunteering, I feel highlighting certain key reasons for this can help our Non-Profits. None the less we have also provided our recommendations on solving these issues.

Who has the TIME?

We are always so busy in running around and multi tasking that we don’t have the time to think about our own life. In such a scenario, volunteering always takes a back seat. “I do not have time do my own work. How will I volunteer?” Time most certainly is an issue. Can we allocate tasks which can be done during down-times like traveling, weekends etc? Let’s keep this first in our list.

Family responsibilities. Personal Life

People work several hours a week on their jobs. Stretched work life has an immediate impact on our personal lives. Whenever people do get free time they prefer being with their family instead of going out to volunteer. Can we provide them the much needed ‘family break’ along with volunteering? Can community be made as an extended family rather than just a part of society that needs fixing? That’s something to ponder upon.

Okay let’s accept it. WE ARE JUST LAZY!

That is indeed the most common and yet the most denied reason (Look even I mentioned it as the third point). Nobody wants to accept it, however that does not mean it is not true. Procrastination just screws most of our aspirations. While you always planned to volunteer what would your lazy brains say when it’s time to execute? -”Instead of volunteering why not take a day off and sleep or go out?” Such people need to be allocated group tasks. Peers drive one another quite well, don’t they?

Come on, how does it all matter? (The Purpose)

When we look around at our country there are a number of things that we do want to change. However when we look around we often question whether all this effort will really make a difference? The whole the world would still  be the same, right? This is discouraging. Basis our experience at ProjectHeena I would suggest it’s our responsibility to convey the impact & make people connected. Every drop contributes to an ocean, just that we need to hold all drops together till the time the results are out.

Do not know – where/what/when/how to volunteer

We work for two things – Money or Passion. No prizes to guess why people volunteer. Passion multiplies when the right things fall in place. If people don’t know the where, why and how to volunteer, things just fall apart. This stands to be the worse reason to not volunteer.

Fortunately, thanks to being hyper connected, things are getting solved now. Several site (like the one you are on right now) will help you solve this query nicely. If you are a non-profit having a clear process made, helps align volunteers well.

So where do we stand now. Let’s reiterate how these problems can be solved.

1. Time is not really a problem! We watch movies, have enough personal time and for some ‘doing nothing’ is also a phase of their life. Make Volunteering interesting and Fun. People make time for fun and interesting things.
2. People walk an extra mile for passion. Align what they can provide with what you want. We are Lazy not because we don’t want to work, we are lazy at times because the work provided is just not interesting.
3. Assign group tasks. Involve not just the volunteer but the whole team. The task need not be one more in her bucket after the family and job. All the 3 can really co-exist!
4. Communicate the impact of work and what difference it can make in the life of another person. Even if you can do only a little, do it, but do contribute something should be the motto.
5. Rome was not built in a day. Great things take great time and effort. Make things count and always show the big picture. Experience shows that people perform at a length when they have the big picture in mind. So do communicate that on regular basis.
6. Yes many a times the right match is not made. We agree, BUT that doesn’t stop an achiever. Remember I said it’s a hyper connected world? Just go online and declare what you can contribute, ask what you want. That’s the first step towards a Happy Volunteering experience. You can even declare by Joining Here

Once you are determined that you have to support a cause then there are a thousand ways of doing it. Most of the well known NGOs have websites for example- Goonj, Cry, Smile, Helpage India etc.  We ourselves register all the good NGOs we get in touch with. Check them here

I hope I was able to provide you enough solutions to inspire and drive great volunteering support. You have any doubts? We are just a comment or email away.