U3 Unit Wrap Blast: A Moral Compass

Background

All the great world religions emphasize the need to empathize with others, encouraging us to give,

to share what we have, and to help those in need. Governments also encourage us to give by offering
tax deductions for charitable donations, and by making charities exempt from paying taxes. More than
half of today’s young people, the Millennial Generation, give their time, their skills, and even their
hard-earned money generously, eager to help out where they can. Why are we so willing to share what
we have, and how does seeing what others are going through change who we are?

The Internet has broken down many barriers, including those of distance, language, and culture.

Today, we can turn on our computers and within seconds we can read the day’s news from all over the
world; see what events cultural organizations are planning; find out how to volunteer for charitable work
abroad; visit all the museums of the world; and read thousands of out-of-print books. Traveling on the
Internet makes faraway places seem much nearer and more integrated with the world we experience.

Social networking is another factor; the Internet allows us to be closely connected to people down

the street and on the other side of the globe. This closeness naturally leads to a desire to help when our
faraway friends are in trouble—we want to help because these are our people. When something
happens to them, we feel their pain.

Background

We learn a lot about ourselves when we reach out to help others. Many teenagers have learned from

volunteering with the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia on the west coast of Africa. This organization
welcomes teenage volunteers, both local and international, to play a crucial role in saving the endangered wild
cheetah, the swiftest of the large wild cats. Teenagers may do any tasks from chopping meat to feed the cheetahs
to cooking for the staff to helping rebuild the Visitor Center, which burned down in 2013. Of course, Namibia is a
long way away and not everyone can travel there—but some have helped the organization from afar. One
California school raised $700 for the CCF.

In today’s world it is easy to learn what life is like in faraway places—when tragedy strikes abroad, we wake

up to the details on the news. Hearing about the lives of others transforms us. Sometimes we are inspired to act.
Other times we can’t help but shift the way we view the world. With everyone paying close attention to others, both
near and far, the world becomes a better place.