Monday, April 21, 2008
Community Service
Since all of us are in IB, there are definitely some points in the school year where we have had to do community service. In your opinion, do you feel that there is more need for service on a local, state, national, or global level? Justify your reasoning using WOKs and try to identify your own biases that might cause you to support one level over another.
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From my own perspective, I feel there is definitely need for more service on a local level. From what I see and hear of on a regular basis, there are many people who are disenfranchised right in our own community. Logically, it seems that if everyone took advantage of service opportunities in their own communities, each community could take care of itself. In an idealistic world, this could decrease the amount of need both nationally and globally. However, this solution is biased because of my living situation here in Fort Collins. Here there are people who are in stable situations and are in a position to help others. But in other communities internationally, there aren't people who are in a position to help. Also, although I have an emotional connection and feel empowered by doing community service, many people don't. Perhaps a nation-wide educational requirement of community service would motivate people.
From a logical standpoint, community service is justified: the community provides the individual with a greater likelihood of survival, and the individual returns this service by helping to maintain the community. However, some would say that no other contribution is needed other than the work provided in an individual's job, and the taxes that result from that work. There is no objective way of quantifying the value of a community to an individual, therefore what the individual is required to give back in a fair exchange is also unknowable through logic, as far as I can see. Emotion is the other WOK that plays largely into this issue, and I think that this is the one which is most likely to cause us to do community service, or not. We certainly are not obligated physically or mentally to do community service (unless there is a CAS requirement or a parking ticket to work off), and so the concept is dealt with through emotion.
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