I want to do something meaningful with my life

So, I'm getting about that age when I need to be thinking about what I'm going to do with my life. I've always thought that I wanted to teach English and English as a foriegn language.

See, my plan as of now is to graduate with both degrees and then travel around the world to teach English, especially in 3rd world countries. And then when I'm ready to settle down and start a family, I'll move back here and teach at a school with students who really need direction.

But I can't help thinking that teaching English to students who are starving and suffering is showing off a little bit of that "holier than thou" attitude a lot of Americans seem to have. I mean what good is English to kids who have seen more pain than we could possibly imagine?

So my question is, what career could help people the most? I really, really, really just want to help someone who really needs it. I thought maybe being a doctor? But I just dont know.


Thank you for reading this!
Lars

 

I admire your desire to do the most good! I'm not sure of the answer but I think putting that excellent question out into the universe is bound to land you with some good answers!

 

Agriculture?

I've always liked this proverb:

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

 

You can teach English to people in Korea or Japan, I have a couple of friends who did that for awhile.

In poorer countries, you could look at it as giving the kids a better chance at life, giving them an education.

 

I've wanted to do something meaningful also... Seems I'm running out of time.


Or I've already done it and don't know about it.

 

superhero.




you shouldn't just look for the pinnacle of helpful careers; you might hate whatever that job is and the answer is pretty much subjective anyway. just find the career that helps people that you will actually enjoy the most.

 

Inner city teaching is a possibility. There are so so so so many charitable organizations you can join that will help fulfill that drive in you too. Consider the Peace Corp or Red Cross, etc.

 

Any kind of teaching is beneficial for someone with so few options.. What good will English do for some kid in Africa or Asia? Well, there's usually tourism, and speaking just a little bit of English will make it easier for many locals to get a job, for example.

If you want to teach English specifically, your options are endless. You could live anywhere in Asia, Africa or south America, and be able to get a job easily.

Of course, the world could always use more doctors.

Just be careful you don't sign up for a "charity" organization that charges you outlandish fees to come and volunteer. That money won't be going the places you want it to.

At the end of the day, something is only as meaningful as you make it, and if you really want to help and give back, you will find a way to do it that makes you happy at the same time.

 

Thanks guys! I think i'm going to stick with my original plan haha

 

Volunteer somewhere

 

agreed.

It's a difficult question to answer.

some people say try to acquire a giant pile of money without causing a lot of harm in the process, then use the money to make big changes.

another idea is that you should do what makes you come alive, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

 

i require your entire body to perspire.

 

help others???


no no no

help yourself first....find a job that you LIKE doing....and then the rest falls into place rather easy


but im just guessing

 

Go to the Amazon and protest- help the indigenous cultures keep the land free from harm

Study or get a aprenturship in disaster management.

Learn and teach people to grow food in urban area's

Care work for all client groups

Work in an animal retreat centre...

the list is endless..
Good luck
:2thumbsup:

 

Probably important you go do it so it clicks with you just how holier than thou that statement alone sounds, just cos its third world doesnt mean they arent happier.

Then it'll click you are just like the other Americans you are criticizing.

And while you are there you can go to the local hospital and get them to remove bug from ass, for a third of the price

 

Thanks for your reply

I just recently returned from Ecuador not to long ago. And you're right,most of them are happy there, if not happier than we are. i've never seen a kid smile so big. That being said, I saw mothers wandering the street with infants strapped to thier back while they begged for money. All I'm saying is what good would English do? I understand that they could learn the language, move to a touristy part of their country and make a tenth more than what they would have made otherwise; and yes that's better than nothing. And the ones that are content, are content as they are. They are happy to be whatever nationality they are, so would learning English really improve thier way of life? I"m not saying it's not beneficial, but there has got to be more that we can do.

I really didn't mean to be critical. It just seems as though America, as a whole, tries to westernize the rest of the world. They must believe in God, they must speak English, they must practice capitalism. I mean, as a country, we do have a holier than thou attitude. And I'm probably just as ignorant and arrogant as the rest of us, but at least I'm trying to do something about it.

 

All of the West is full of depression, anxiety disorders, diabetes, obesity.

You visit somewhere like equador and you still dont see everything, you only see it over a week or a month or whatever.

My opinion, it comes down to the day to day stuff in the end, the daily grind over decades.

So you want to make it better for so and so, who? where? what actually is better?

Someone lives in NYC has an office job, spends most of their time in front of a computer and not much contact with other people, and way to much time commuting all to pay off a house bigger than they need and a whole bunch of crap they get bored with.

Who is to say someone doing that is happier more content, than someone living in the middle of nowhere in Indonsesia, working the fields, for palm oil, making stuff all money, but he is outside all day, with his mates, goes home to the village where the wife and kids all live together, sing songs all night and get tanked on moonshine.

This is a hippy site, I've heard a few members talk about the homeless who say they are happier cos they can do what they want, or some do a sea change cos they are fed up with the daily grind

I looked it up average life expectancy (World Bank) in Equador is 75 years, in the US its 78, not as big a difference as you would assume. Even in terms of health care, the situation may seem a lot scarier in countries like that. But again, the day to day stuff. more likley to keep your weight down doing manual labour, less likely to end up with hardened arteries on a base diet

If everything is so great in the west, why arent they happier?, why are they only marginally (and thats arguable) healthier? and Who's to say we know whats better?

 

as long as your basic material needs are met, good health and good relationships are much more important than money.

yep, there are lots of folks in poor countries who are better off than people in rich countries