The recent hurricanes have wrecked homes, devastated people and cost billions in damage. They have also thrown into relief the work of volunteers.
Volunteers do not, of course, deal only with the major catastrophes. They oil the society in which we live. Volunteering is the lifeblood of football teams, residents’ associations and societies for the elderly. They fundraise for hospitals at home and for schools in the third world. Volunteers bring hope and help and even after their death many donate their organs.
No country could exist without its volunteers. They are quite literally, the backbone of our society. They fill in the gaps left by State bodies and local authorities. Without them the lonely would be lonelier, the hungry hungrier.
It’s been said that such volunteers are the conscience of the middle class and sometimes there is a little truth in this because the middle class do not actually suffer hunger or homelessness themselves. So they volunteer out of a desire to help those less fortunate. However there are millions of volunteers around the world who are poor themselves but who want to help their own neighbours, their own community.  Whoever they are or whatever work they do volunteers are a priceless asset.

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The Paralympics show us quite clearly that the disabled deserve equal rights. Like every other athlete they train hard and are totally committed to their sports. Unlike others, though, they have to master a disability to enable them to participate. It is likely that they have more illnesses than non-disabled athletes which will cut into their training schedules. It is only when we see them at the Paralympics that we really begin to appreciate their bravery and their sportsmanship.
They do not get anything like the same media coverage and appreciation as other athletes. Yet they should. After all they represent their countries too. They are living examples of the will to win. They show us what can be done despite having a disability. They find it more difficult to get sponsors and government agencies are likely to give them less funds than those participating in the Olympic Games.  For them every day is like the day of an Olympic event. They are living proof that sport is for all.

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Health – it’s in your own hands. That is not to say that people are not struck down with illnesses over which they have no control.  Nonetheless we know that many sicknesses are caused by the way we live and the food we eat. It would pay us then to consider our lifestyles.
Take junk food, for instance. Eating it means we are literally killing ourselves with kindness. How many people suffer from Diabetes and heart problems caused by being overweight?  It’s not easy to diet but perhaps you could introduce a new fruit or a strange vegetable into your diet each week until you got used to healthier meals. You could leave the car at home and walk. You might find it’s far more relaxing than being stuck in a traffic jam.
Many people suffer from depression and of course it is an illness but how often do active, caring people suffer? They are usually too busy to think about themselves and their problems. We must ask ourselves is loneliness another name for selfishness?  If we want to be fit and healthy the prescription is simple. Eat well, get lots of exercise and volunteer to do something for others.

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As we know from the damage done in New Orleans, hurricanes happen. Sometimes though they tail off as has happened with Hurricane Gustav and the worst of the damage is avoided.  Despite all the modern technology available Mother Nature still has us at her mercy. All we can do is monitor the situation and warn people to leave areas that are in danger of devastation.
Whether it is hurricanes or earthquakes the human consequences are soul destroying.
Besides the death tolls homes and livelihoods’ are swept away as happened in the Tsunami. The third world suffers most but are we responsible?
We have never been able to master nature but we can surely do much more to stop the
rivers flooding for instance. We’ve got to recognise the fact that town planning must take heavy rainfalls into account. Councils must ensure that homes are not built in areas likely to be flooded.  It’s time we all recognised that we cannot keep destroying the Ozone lawyer.
We don’t have a choice. It’s up to each of us to accept responsibility. Every one of us has to recognise that our automobiles kill people and the environment. We’ve got some hard choices to make if civilisation is to survive.  It’s got to the stage that we have to make a choice between transport as we know it and tragedy.

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The bookies will be out of a job
The papers will be much thinner
And what will they do on TV shows
When they cannot talk to a winner?
Sport is for all or so they say
The ratings prove it’s true
The Olympic games wooed us all
We watched as though stuck by glue.
They give their all for a nation’s pride
Though steroids and sport are the nasty side
Of what should be sport at its peak, its best
The answer to challenge, the ultimate test
Of speed and skill and heart and pace
We watched them all race by race.

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Almost everyone, it seems, is watching the athletes in China. There are, of course, those who hate sport but the Olympic Games have got most of us enthralled. We watch in fascination as nation takes on nation. We exchange views on performances and shout on our own favourites. Will they win medals or is it the taking part that really matters? It should be, of course, but there is huge pressure on the athletes to do well not only for themselves but for the pride of their own countries. Whether we like it or not the game are political too. Otherwise the athletes would not run under any flag but under their own names. Instead the national anthems are part of the prizegiving ceremony. Why?
Is it because Governments fund the training of athletes? Is it because countries are sending out their own message to the world? Do we confuse shouting on our athletes with patriotism? Just what are the benefits of the Olympics?
Some say they throw the spotlight on human rights abuses but does that have any effect? Will it change the world whether the Olympics are held or cancelled? What about the nastier side of athleticism? What about the case of the steroids and sport? What makes an athlete cheat which is totally against the whole ethos of sportsmanship?
The original Olympic Games had nothing to do with commercialism. The heroes were feted for their sporting prowess alone. They were not paid, they were truly amateur, their prize some laurel leaves. So what has happened to make the Olympics the business it is today? Would any country be prepared to send representatives who ran or swam for love of the sport and not for gain?
The questions asked are about who will be winners? Maybe a more fundamental question is are the Olympics about prestige profit and power or just simply sport?

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Most of us were told that it impolite to discuss religion, politics or money at the dinner table. Yet whether we like it or not money, or the lack of it, is the hot subject for discussion these days. That’s understandable because we are living through a recession. People are losing their homes, businesses are going to the wall and budgeting is something we will all have to do if we are to survive the current crisis.
We need to think of long term solutions rather than quick fixes. Students should learn not earn because in doing so they improve their job prospects by getting better results. So it will pay them in the long term to be better educated. That is not to say that we should not tighten our belts. It’s a challenge to see whether we can cut the electricity bill or
eat better for less. Certainly it would do most of us no harm to leave the car at home and take public transport thus saving the environment and our pockets as well. Most of us have skills or talents we could barter for services we need instead of using those expensive credit cards. It will pay us all to be better informed about money matters or to consult the experts who can help us manage our money. Things are bad at the moment but if you try there are lots of ways you can dig yourself out of debt.

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Where are all the good guys gone? Once upon a time we knew there were goodies and baddies and that the goodies always won. Nowadays we can be forgiven for wondering whether our prison system is equitable or fair. In fact we might be inclined to think that prison is not the only punishment for crime.
Many of those in our jails are themselves victims of injustice, racial intolerance or deprived backgrounds. Hundreds live on death row and live day by day with the threat of the death penalty. Is this society’s vengeance or a just punishment? Are fetters and chains destructive rather than instructive? Are there better ways to deal with violence and murder? Can prisoners be reformed and made into productive members of society? These are all questions that need to be answered if we are not all to be as guilty as they.
Then there are the prisoners of conscience. Most of us prefer not to think of innocent people being tortured and imprisoned by cruel regimes. Yet every day in every part of the world people disappear from their villages and towns captured by corrupt Government forces. Their suffering does not make the headlines but one group works tirelessly on their behalf. For such prisoners an Amnesty approach shows them that they are not forgotten. This organisation challenges us to challenge such governments and to keep pressing for democratic governments to be installed. Yet is there really that much difference between their treatment of prisoners and our own? Can we really hold our heads high and say we have a humane prison system?
We are building bigger and better prisons at enormous expense to the taxpayer. Obviously violent criminals must not be let loose on society. Equally obviously we should be thinking of new and more creative ideas regarding rehabilitation. Closing a cell door is easy but it isn’t always the right answer to the problems we face.

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The news headlines reflect the world in which we live. They speak of murder and rape not to mention drugs and drink and all the other social problems of our days. They show us in gory detail the consequences of speeding on our roads. How can we get the message across that it’s not cool to be stone cold dead or that drink is a death warrant? Perhaps all drivers should have to visit a rehabilitation centre before they are issued with a licence?. Maybe they ought to spend a night in a prison to see what the consequences would be if they killed or maimed someone. Perhaps role playing should be a part of road safety courses and learner drivers would have to act the part of the policeman who tells a wife her husband is dead or of a doctor telling parents their child will never walk again. Despite all the publicity we have not succeeded in stopping the carnage so perhaps its time we had other ways of getting the safety message across. In a good speech we should be able to get across the idea that we don’t want to make the headlines for the wrong reasons.

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It’s given to very few of us to change the world. Nelson Mandela did it when he fought the scourge of apartheid. Most of us aren’t brave enough or determined enough or indeed far seeing enough to make such a sweeping change at immense cost to ourselves. We can, though, change our own little corner of the world by making it a happier place. Volunteering is one way of doing this and there are countless causes that need our involvement and our time. You might, for instance, learn to play the guitar and give hours of pleasure to hospital patients or at an old folks’ party. You could fundraise for a good cause or indeed send a donation to a charity. You might campaign for more jobs in your area or for more help for the disabled. You could visit the lonely or become a scientist who finds cures for diseases. Volunteers run marathons, climb mountains and cut off their beards in aid of good causes. They give out leaflets and knock on doors in aid of political candidates. They help train children in sports clubs and feed the starving in the third world. So whatever you choose to do you can change someone’s world simply by volunteering.

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