What inspires an average high school student to lend a hand? During the height of the school year, amidst the usual load of classwork, possibly midterms, maybe a part-time job, basketball/wrestling/swimming/diving/track practice, musical rehearsals, the competitive band and chorus circuit, robotics, or some combination thereof, when students can be seen in the halls from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., free time is an elusive concept for many students. What, then, makes them decide to spend valuable hours lending aid to complete strangers?

To be sure, sometimes the decision is less of an option and more of an obligation. Without delving into court-ordered community service (a different matter entirely), many organizations require some sort of volunteerism, from Cub Scouts to Student Council. National Honor Society requires evidence of an extended stint of service to qualify for senior membership. There are, as with anything, two sides to mandated community service. Proponents claim that such requirements teach valuable lessons about civic responsibility. Perhaps this is true, for research has indicated that adults are more likely to complete community service if they volunteer while in school. And yet, mandated service or service completed to pad a college résumé is not synonymous with true volunteerism.
Next, witness the students who volunteer in order to prepare themselves for a future career path. Observe Jordan Orzolek or the life skills interns; while still self-serving, at least this motivation belies a genuine passion rather than pure obligation.
Other influences factor into one’s likelihood to perform community service. Statistically, Caucasians are more likely to volunteer than African-American, Hispanic, or Asian students. Students from higher socio-economic classes volunteer more often than ones from a more middle-class background, and females display more compassion for the needy than do males (slightly clichéd, but true).
Fear and sympathy are always motivational. National disasters like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina inspire multitudes of do-gooders, who will inevitably fade back into the bustle of their everyday lives after a month or two, leaving the less newsworthy needy at the mercy of those enigmatic souls who regularly perform selfless tasks.
Who can say what drives people like Gary Clark, what produces genuine, unselfish motivation to assist our fellow man? Maybe some enjoy the sense of giving back to society, or just secretly get their kicks from displays of gratitude. Maybe that urge to help is just one more quirk some of us are born with, like a taste for Indian cuisine or the ability to curl the tongue. A recessive gene.
Such kindness is admirable, but ultimately does it matter whether our motives are selfish or selfless? The comparative rarity of true volunteers is unfortunate, yet perhaps the assistance itself is the only thing that matters. With unemployment rates steadily rising, the need for help will not take long to correspond. If we were the ones in dire need of assistance, would we care where the help came from or why? As the saying goes, don’t bite the hand that feeds you. And perhaps we might have to answer for it on Judgment Day, but in the here and now, it doesn’t matter if aid is given purely to assuage the guilt leftover from spending $100 on new boots.